The Angel of Madness
by Megamafan16
Summary: A down-on-her-luck Alice has an encounter with a frightening creature, and very soon it's off to Wonderland again...a fellow maniac with a bow-tie obsession called 'The Doctor' by her side! Rated T for references. NOW COMPLETE!
1. The Stone Gaze of Cruelty

Disclaimer: EA Games and American Mcgee own all rights to this particular incarnation of Alice, and the BBC owns the rights to Doctor Who. I am not affiliated with any of them, and thus have no ownership. Please support the real owners of these characters!

And review this story, if it's good enough!

A/N: During the first chase scene, I encourage my readers to imagine a slow, creepy, violin-and-piano/organ cover of the Doctor Who theme (think the menu music for Madness Returns)

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><p>Alice Liddell<p>

The Eleventh Doctor

DOCTOR WHO/ALICE: The Angel of Madness.

Chapter 1: The Stone Gaze of Cruelty.

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><p>London, 1880. A terrible time and place to be poor, or homeless, much less both.<p>

However, such was the predicament of Alice Liddell, a 23-year-old woman with no family, friends, or relatives who would take pity on her. Instead, she's been forced to wander from shelter to shelter, charity to charity, workhouse to workhouse, and fail to find refuge in any of them. Not from hunger or cold – but from the world.

Ever since the revelation of Dr. Bumby, the owner of the first orphanage she went to, as the killer of her entire family, she had lost faith in the human race. As far as she was concerned, every man who wasn't blind was looking at her with predatory lust, waiting for the right opportunity to drag her away and break her body and spirit. It had happened to her sister after all; a slimy undergraduate who had the full confidence of her father...who died before he could realize the deception.

And not just her body was coveted by these snarling beasts; her family's old lawyer, Radcliffe, had effectively stolen almost all the inheritance she had been left, and skipped town as soon as she objected. She didn't even get the opportunity to hold her old toy rabbit once again...she had fainted in the middle of ranting at him, and he had packed up in a haste, probably fearing for his life. Alice, at the time, believed he had every reason to: she did suspect him as a potential murderer of her family, but her later encounters with Dr. Bumby acquitted him of all guilt.

As for her own guilt, it took a while to get rid of her own official guilt in the murder of Bumby. At first, it seemed that she would finally leave this horrid world behind...but then, a child who used to be under the care of Dr. Bumby had been paying attention to the trial, and realized he was being used as a slave for pedophiles to practice their degradations on. He instantly sympathized with Alice, and rushed to her defense. It was a sheer stroke of luck, one that made the jury take pity on her, and ultimately release her of any legal wrongdoing.

A most cruel mercy indeed. She was allowed to walk out, free, into a world that wanted nothing to do with her. Wherever she tried to stay, eventually some evil, malicious man would eventually make it so she couldn't stay. Whether it was through a drunken rampage, a lustful gaze, or some unexplainable instance of bad luck, she would find herself back out onto the street within a few days, often forcing her to wonder whether it would've been better off for her if she had asked to stay in prison. In fact, only painful memories of abuse and mistreatment prevented her from asking the staff of Rutledge's Insane Asylum to give her old room back.

Of course, Dr. Wilson would object – he's frightened of what he cannot explain, and thus was disturbed by Alice's sudden recovery from her constant hallucinations of 'Wonderland,' the wondrous landscape of her dreams...literally. Ever since the fire, she had trouble telling whether or not she was in the real world, or the mad world of Wonderland...which she vastly prefers to this world. As deranged as it is, Wonderland is where Alice is able to look out for herself, where she has control over what happens to her life, where she can be whomever she chooses to be.

Which explains why when she passed another beggar on the street one August evening, weakly holding out his hat and asking for bread, she asked him: "Is it too much trouble to try and catch the Bread-and-Butterflies? They're all within reach, you know."

"The whats now?" asked the beggar in his thick Scottish accent, "What're ye talkin' aboot, missie?"

"Oh, that's right...forget I said anything," said Alice, who ran off in embarrassment. Apparently, she had forgotten that she was the only one who perceived the 'Londerland' about her (as she had affectionately named the bizarre hybrid of London and Wonderland). Only she could see the strange and exotic plants and animals wandering the streets (and yes, sometimes the plants joined in the wandering); to the rest of the world, she was mad as a hatter. And people afraid of the insane, think they are a curse upon the world, would find her, and no doubt do terrible things to her...as she had thought this through several times in the past, she picked up speed.

Fleeing from confused strangers was no unfamiliar task for her; several times had her fears of the unknown motives of men forced her to do so. Luckily for her, she always knew there was one street she could run to, where they would not follow her. There were several hiding places amid the seedy marketplace hustle and bustle where she could easily slip into, and the stall managers were perfectly content to share their street-space, and even a few of their wares, for free...just as long as Alice kept her mouth shut about the _true_ dealings of that particular neighborhood, of which she knew all the details. It was a painful decision to make for a girl who valued honesty as one of the few virtues in this pitiful world, but as Nanny told her many years ago, _"A woman alone sometimes does what she doesn't particularly feel like doing."_

She ran on and on through the streets, which were nearly empty due to the hour. She never stopped until she reached the familiar street corner that led into her hiding spot...

...and the instant she turned into it, she suddenly found it completely abandoned! Stalls were turned over, wares (both legal and not) were scattered all over the streets, and the whole visible area was virtually free of people!

"Oh my!" she said to no one in particular, "The place is a shambles! Have the police finally caught on to their activities?"

She breathed in through her nose...and the distinct whiff of dried opium was instantly recognized. "No, not the police; they'd have confiscated all the drugs and stolen goods! Perhaps it was a gang...in either case, this place is useless to me now. I'll need to find another place of refuge." And with that, she took one last look at the only un-ruined object in the street, a statue of a crying angel (no doubt stolen from some aristocrat's front lawn), and turned away towards the main roads...

...When she suddenly heard footsteps and conversation headed her way! She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she didn't care: If they saw her standing in this mess of opium, they would connect her to the illegal goings-on of this place, now no longer hidden by carefully-placed market stalls. Thinking quickly, she ran behind the angel statue, and crouched down behind its skirt.

A minute later, the men had passed right on by the street, too engrossed with conversation over the latest imports from Japan. Breathing a sigh of relief, Alice stood up, and poked her head around the statue...

All of a sudden, the instant her hand touched the part of the statue that was supposed to represent the exposed skin of the right arm, she received a massive electrical shock that made her stumble back into an overturned market stall. As memories of shock therapy at Rutledge's sprang back to her conscious thought, Alice sat up, rubbed her hand, and looked at the statue in confusion...only to find that the pose of the statue had suddenly changed! Now, it looked like it was turning around to look at her!

"Is this another dream? Has Wonderland decided to play another joke on me? If so, this really isn't funny." she said as she studied the statue, with the same curiosity she remembered having when she first fell down the rabbit hole and discovered Wonderland.

And then she blinked.

Instantly, the statue changed pose again: This time, it looked like it was coiling up in preparation for a lunge, an anticipatory sneer on it's face!

Shocked, Alice jumped back, falling on her rear as she did. Quickly, she turned her gaze back to the statue: Now it seemed to be opening it's mouth in an animalistic snarl, revealing vampire-like fangs. Getting even more disturbed by the second, she desperately scrambled backwards towards the entrance to a back alley.

She blinked again.

The statue had moved towards her, closing half of the distance she had put between herself and...whatever that thing was, since it was obviously not a real statue.

"No, please, stay away! I've done nothing to you! Leave me be!" she desperately pleaded as she backed up some more...to no response from the thing.

By then, she had backed herself up against the entrance to the alley. Throwing caution to the wind, she stood up, ran backwards as far as she could, and then turned away from the false angel statue. Stumbling at first, she ran as fast as she could, once looking over her shoulder...to find the statue not far behind her.

She had barely run ten seconds when she turned a corner, and found a large metal gate barring her road to freedom! She stopped, scared, and turned around...to find the snarling statue in her face.

She backed up as much as she could, ending with her back against the gate, and her eyes fixed in terror on the angel...

She blinked. And the statue moved closer.

She blinked again. The statue moved even closer.

She blinked for a third time. This time, the statue appeared right in front of her, its face directly before hers.

Suddenly, Alice realized what was going on: Whatever hallucination this was, it only moved when her eyes were closed. Thinking quickly, Alice focused all her strength into her eyelids, trying desperately to keep them open just for a little longer...just keep looking at the thing's face...

The strain quickly became too much, and her face contorted into all sorts of expressions as her struggle continued...

And then she blinked.

….

…..

The statue hadn't moved. She was still alive.

Confusion and terror wrestled for dominance within Alice's mind, as she wondered what would make such a terrifying creature pause just as it was going in for the kill.

Just then, she heard footsteps rushing up the alley...and then saw somebody rush up behind the statue, and place some kind of odd headgear on it, with some kind of flat, golden plate obscuring the face.

"It's Okay, you can blink now; it can't hurt anyone." said the voice of a young man, who then walked out from behind the statue. "That's the thing with Weeping Angels: They can't move when _anybody_ is looking at them...themselves included."

"What did you do to it?" asked Alice, breathing heavily from adrenaline rush.

"Oh, I just hung a mirror in front of its face. Being forced to look yourself in the mirror – Tolerable if you're a beauty queen, disastrous if you're a Weeping Angel. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and you are?"

Just then, Alice got a good look at the man who had apparently saved her life: He was about her age, wearing a simple tweed jacket with a blue shirt underneath, and a red bowtie around his neck. His hair looked like a good portion of it was brushed onto the right side of his head, giving him an odd look that she couldn't describe. But what grabbed her attention first was his face: he seemed unrealistically happy for this day and age.

"Alice...Alice Liddell." she said, as her mind raced over what this so-called 'Doctor' might be thinking.

"Ah. Well, nice to meet you, Alice." said the Doctor, who extended his right hand towards her.

"But...you're just an illusion, aren't you? Like the statue?"

"Oh, I'm real, alright. Course, if you were to tell anyone about me, well, people of this day and age don't really believe in living statues (a really disastrous train of thought if the Angels are on this planet), so I might as well _be _an illusion as far as anyone here cares." Then, he turned back towards the once-menacing statue: "Now, I really need to get this thing off the planet; you can help me if you like."

"But...isn't it harmless now? With that mirror on its head and all?"

"Well, somebody might steal the mirror. It's a style that hasn't been invented yet, so somebody might think it would be worth a few shillings or two. So, it falls to me, and possibly you, to get that thing to my TARDIS so nobody gets the chance."

Her head still trying to wrap itself around the things this oddball was saying, she suddenly remembered what every _other_ man had wanted of her...she placed her hands on her hips, and asked: "And what happens if I _don't_ help you? If I don't _want_ to go to your 'Tardis' or whatever you call it?"

The Doctor pressed his hand to his chin, and said: "Well, I can't lift this thing by myself..." And then his face lit up in realization: "Ha! Good thing I started carrying some money around with me!"

Suddenly, he ran off, calling back to her: "Make sure nobody steals the mirror, I'll be back in about five minutes!"

Still suspicious, Alice decided to give him a chance as she watched him go...and then blinked several times in a row, as her eyes began to itch for a second.

…..

…..

Five minutes later, he came back...with about five raggedy-dressed men with him! Alice stepped back in shock...and then the Doctor said: "There it is, boys; just move that statue over to my police box, and that'll be all."

"Got it, Doctor." said one of the men. Quickly, all of them took their positions around the statue, leaned it over, and started carrying it out of the alley.

The Doctor, meanwhile, turned to Alice and said: "I offered them five pounds each for about five minutes of heavy lifting. Nothing too hard."

Alice narrowed her eyes at the Doctor: "Did you tell them there's a woman here?"

"They didn't ask." answered the Doctor nonchalantly, as he began following them out of the alley. "Why would they?"

"Well," began Alice as she began following the Doctor...when one of the men suddenly jerked away from the statue, exclaiming "OW!" as he did.

"Oh, yeah," said the Doctor, as he went over to help him, "Don't touch the arms...or the head...stick to the robed areas."

"What happened?" asked the man who complained of the pain.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. 19th century London and all...Suffice to say, that's part of the reason I needed this statue moved, and why I was willing to part with twenty-five pounds to see it happen."

Alice sighed. "You know what; I guess I will help." And with that, she walked towards the bottom of the statue, stopped for a second to rub her eyes, and grabbed the edge of the statue's skirt.

…..

…..

Five minutes later, the odd procession had reached its destination: A small wooden structure with a blue painted exterior, and a sign just under the roof that said: "Police Public Call Box". Everyone set the angel statue down, and the Doctor pulled out his purse and gave everyone what they were promised. As the five beggars walked away with their new money, Alice stayed behind for a reason she couldn't fully explain...yet still keeping her distance from the mysterious bouncing man.

Then, the Doctor went inside the little box, and came out a second later with a length of rope trailing behind him. He walked around the statue, adjusted the mirror on its head, and tied a strong knot around the angel's waist, before walking back to the box...

...and turning back towards Alice, saying: "Well, I must be going now. Wouldn't suggest you stay; if you saw the kind of things that happen around me, you'd think you were going mad.

Suddenly, Alice stepped forward, offended: "Mad? I've just been attacked by a _statue_!"

"Like I said, nobody believes in the existence of the Weeping Angels. Any mention of them-"

"And what's more," continued Alice, "It's _not_ one of the hallucinations that sent me to Rutledge's in the first place!"

"-would make people send you to an insane asylum like...Rutledge." The Doctor suddenly paused in his speech, as what Alice just said caught up with his train of thought. "Wait," he said "You've already been there? For what? You seem fine to me; Your typical everyday brunette with a quick temper."

"That's not the me you would have seen if it were ten or five years ago." she said, turning away as she remembered... "Back then, dreaming and waking were impossible to differentiate. I couldn't tell which was which...now, I can. But I still see them, out of the corner of my eye...all the wondrous sights, all the strange things, all the-"

…..

"Um..." asked the Doctor as Alice suddenly stopped; on a whim, he walked up right next to her, asking: "Are you okay? Is everything..."

And then he suddenly saw her face: total fright. Her eyes were fixed on _something_, but when the Doctor looked, there was nothing there.

Suddenly, she spoke: "Oh my god...something's wrong...this can't be real!"

"What can't be real?" asked the Doctor, "What's wrong?"

"The buildings...the signs...the trees..."

"There aren't any trees around..." the Doctor tried to interject, but Alice continued: "the toadstools...the grass...all of it...NO!"

"What's happening?" asked the Doctor, as he jerked Alice around to face him...and then he saw it. The familiar grey outline in her eyes...

"It's all turning to stone...grey, soulless stone...and crumbling..." said Alice, weakly.

"You looked into the eyes of the Angel, did you?"

Before she could answer, Alice suddenly screamed, and collapsed onto the street.

"Wonderland is dying!"

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><p>Thank you for reading my first chapter in this ambitious crossover! Please check back soon...things are about to go <em>mad...<em>


	2. Once More, the Looking Glass

I do not own Alice (American Mcgee and EA Games) or Doctor Who (BBC).

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><p>Chapter 2: Once More, The Looking-Glass<p>

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><p>"Wonderland is dying!"<p>

Quickly, the Doctor dove to the ground, kneeling right next to the prostrate Alice. Once there, he wasted no time: he forced his hands over her eyes, covering them completely.

Before she had a chance to protest, he shouted: "Close your eyes, now! It's infected the visual centre, shutting that down will halt its progress!"

Still frightened, Alice tried to push the Doctor off of her, but he held on. "Listen, Alice! The only way you have a chance of surviving is if you close your eyes! The more you see, the more powerful the Angel in your mind gets! Just...You have to trust me on this!"

Those words, through some method she couldn't explain, granted her a moment of rational thought in the middle of her panic. She took some deep breaths, and then said: "They're closed." Carefully, the Doctor removed his hands...and yes, they were indeed closed.

"It's stopped," panted Alice. "I don't hear any crumbling anymore. It stopped!"

"See? I told you; it pays to trust me." replied the Doctor. "Now, I don't know exactly how much energy the Angel was able to gain...but still, don't open your eyes for a second. Don't worry though, I'll help you get places...ooh, fancy that, me as a seeing-eye dog...At least, until we figure _something_ out."

Alice sat up, with a little assistance, as she asked: "What just happened?"

"Apparently, while I was rescuing you, you looked into the eyes of the Weeping Angel. They say 'the eyes are the windows to the soul...' You know how a robber breaks a window in order to enter the house he wants to rob?"

"Yes," said Alice.

"Well, it's nothing like that."

….

"If I could open my eyes, I'd be staring at you in disbelief."

"I'd believe that." stated the Doctor calmly. "Anyway, the point is, now there's an Angel inside your head," he continued as he tapped his finger against Alice's forehead, "and, if it gets enough power, it'll burst out of you, killing you and adding another Weeping Angel to the population."

"It's...inside my head? That thing?"

"Technically speaking, just a small, conceptual image; the real Angel is still out here, with a mirror on its head... but, 'that which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel...' (nobody's ever been able to find out how in the universe that even works) So, in a manner of speaking, yes, unless you keep it starved of visual information."

Alice sighed, and placed her hand to her forehead as if she were massaging a headache. "So that's why I saw Wonderland in ruins..."

"Wait a second;" the Doctor suddenly said, "Wonderland? As in..."

"Leave it be." she replied, a slight defensive tone in her voice, "It's what got me in the Asylum, as I mentioned before."

"No, you said 'hallucinations.'"

Again, she sighed. "Yes...of Wonderland. My dream-world, and recently a poetic representation of my own insanity. What's so important about the name?"

"Err...no reason!" said the Doctor, a slight waver in his voice. "By the way...ever heard of a 'Lewis Carroll?'"

"Who?"

"Never mind."

"Ugh, you're so difficult, Doctor! Half the time I don't believe you know what you're doing!"

"Well, you'd be right, actually!" he exclaimed, to Alice's surprise...and then, he continued: "I usually make things up as I go along...don't question how it works, it just works. I'm at my best when I make things up. And right now, making things up is all I can really do."

"Why?"

"There's only one case of someone surviving having an Angel in their heads, and that was because the Angel that _planted_ the image in the first place was erased from all time and space...of course, reality was reset a short while later, so the Angels are back in full force; and with no time cracks around I, as of this moment, have _no_ idea how to remove that Angel you've got in your brain."

And with that, the Doctor sat down right next to Alice, hand on his chin in thought...when suddenly Alice thought aloud: "Brain...mind...if it's in my mind...it should be in Wonderland! It was turning it to stone...it must be! So why hasn't Rabbit called me yet?"

"What?" asked the Doctor in confusion.

"Wonderland _is_ my mind...and I've gone there several times to fix problems, so why not now?"

"But...no human can enter their own minds like that!"

"Well, _I_ did; During my stay at the Asylum, I entered Wonderland to defeat the Red Queen. Then, later, I did it again to stop the Infernal Train from destroying all of Wonderland, along with killing its conductor, the Dollmaker."

The Doctor began to ask something, but Alice cut him off: "And how do I know that these aren't just lucid dreams? Well, when I defeated the Queen, and left Wonderland afterwards, I woke up to find myself sane enough to be released! And before, I was a gibbering wreck who had to be restrained almost daily! And as for the Dollmaker, confronting him allowed me to remember my past!"

The Doctor stared in disbelief...but then his shocked expression turned into a wide open-mouth smile. "Oh, Alice...there are _zen masters_ who could only _dream_ of the kind of meditative ability you have! I mean...WOW!"

Alice's eyebrows widened; "So... you _really_ believe me?"

The Doctor giggled in excitement, as he answered her: "The only part I find hard to believe is that a _human_ actually managed to pull it off! Of course, I understand why you hid this ability from everybody else, but it's still amazing! It just goes to show that madness isn't always a bad thing; I once had Vincent Van Gogh help me deal with an invisible monster! And you know what the best part about this Wonderland thing is? It may just work!"

Alice smiled at the Doctor's enthusiasm...and then sighed, dejectedly: "There's still a problem: When I enter Wonderland, it's very much involuntary. I don't know how we'd be able to enter right _now,_ because it's rarely when I want to."

"Heh," laughed the Doctor half-heartedly, confusing Alice. "It's not that much of a problem; at least, not if I help."

Then, before Alice could even think of anything to say, the Doctor grabbed her below her arms and gently pulled her up to her feet, saying: "Come along, Alice, we've got a plan forming, let's finish out the details in the TARDIS."

As the Doctor gently guided her into the Blue Box (although Alice had no way of knowing due to her eyes being closed), Alice asked: "Why?"

"Well, we still have to get rid of the Angel that got us in this mess in the first place, don't we? Somebody may still be thick enough to try and steal the mirror, as I remember saying before." replied the Doctor in a matter-of-fact tone. Alice agreed with what he said, as she was guided inside the box.

Inside, she was guided to a chair, and told to sit down...and hold on tight. She gripped the armrests tightly, and was just about to ask why...

...when suddenly, the whole chair shook violently, as everything around it moved as well. A loud grating sound was heard, but Alice couldn't differentiate exactly what it came from; she had never heard anything like it before, not even in Wonderland!

""""""""""""""""

That day, many a Londoner would swear they saw a small, blue object blast up into the sky like a rocket, with something resembling a stone humanoid, with wings like an angel, dangling from it's aft. Of course, it went unmentioned even to their descendants, out of fear of abusive institutions like Rutledge.

""""""""""""""

"WHA-A-AT'S-S-S GO-OING-G-G O-ON-N?" Alice tried to ask, amidst the massive shaking of her surroundings.

"WE'RE MOVING THE ANGEL, ALICE! TO SOMEWHERE NOBODY WILL TRY TO LOOK FOR IT!" the Doctor responded, as a loud 'POP' and '_sizzle_' were heard.

"_Oh_ no, don't you start complaining _now_!" he shouted suddenly.

"ABOUT WHAT?"

"NOT _YOU_, ALICE, THE TARDIS!" And as the Doctor shouted this attempt at clarification, Alice heard something like a hammer banging against some metal object, along with more bursts of sizzling.

"YES, I _KNOW_ WE'VE GOT AN ENERGY-EATING CREATURE ATTATCHED TO THE SHELL! IT'S JUST FOR ONE TRIP!" exclaimed the Doctor, as something burst in his face (from what Alice was able to discern through her hearing). Afterwards, he said something in a moderate speaking-voice, which sounded to Alice much like: "_C'mon, girl; just hold out till Mercury_!"

What followed was another minute of massive quakes and sharp sounds, both fluctuating from subdued to extreme at random. Alice did her best to hold on to the seat she was in, and the Doctor struggled with whatever was wrong with his 'TARDIS'.

Then, suddenly, the shaking stopped. As Alice started breathing heavily, the Doctor patted something as he said: "See? That wasn't so bad. You could do it...and yes, I'm talking to the TARDIS again."

"Ooh, my head feels like it's been swimming..." moaned Alice. "Where are we?"

"The planet Mercury; It's the hottest planet in the solar system, and has hardly any valuable or useful minerals, so nobody ever deems it worth sending an expedition there! Well, they _technically_ won't even start thinking about travelling there for several centuries, but still: Most people will leave this planet alone. It's the perfect place for a frozen Angel to spend its remaining eternity."

"…."

After seeing Alice's reaction of total confusion, the Doctor said to himself; "This would be much easier if we were in the 20th Century..."

Alice pressed her palm to her forehead, and said: "The more time I spend with you, Doctor, the less sense you make. And this is supposed to be the real world, _not_ Wonderland. I'm still playing along _only_ because you demonstrated knowledge of the thing that nearly killed me. So perhaps we could get on with that?"

"Right…well, at any rate, that's one Angel down, one to go. So, let's get planning."

"What is there to plan? Why can't we just go into Wonderland and be done with it?"

"Well we can't do it _here_, for one thing; The TARDIS is one big energy converter, the angel would eat it all up and get too strong for anybody to handle. And there's more..."

"What, Doctor?" asked Alice impatiently.

"Well, Alice...Even if we can get it to work, we have to consider the possibility that this may fail. And if that happens, the Angel in your mind will grow to full size, and exit your body as one of the creatures you ran from. And you, the only human of this time-period with any knowledge of the Weeping Angels, won't survive the process. Nobody will have any warning, and the Angel will be free to devour this entire world, possibly creating even more Angels in the process."

"In short, if we fail, all humanity is doomed. Got it."

"Not exactly;" stated the Doctor. After he let it sink in for a second, he explained: "There's still the Angel's quantum-locking to consider. If we do this in the right place, then _if_ we fail, the Angel will be trapped in statue form forever. Of course, both of us will still be dead, but nobody else will be harmed..."

"Oh, I see..." replied Alice, "So, what do we need?"

"We need a mirror... and a way to keep curious people away...and no sources of energy for the Angel to devour, but we still need it to be able to see the mirror..."

Suddenly, Alice gasped in panic again. Her breathing instantly became shallow and hurried, as the Doctor relentlessly questioned her about what was going on.

"_Put him in the 'black zone.'" _Alice overheard the two doctors talking_, "There's no lightbulbs for him to cut himself on."_

"_What about light, Dr. Wilson? He's terribly afraid of the dark."_

"_There _is_ a window in there; you know, the high window so no-one can jump out...moonlight beams through that particular window perfectly.."_

Then, just as suddenly as her panic began, it stopped. Immediately after some deep breaths, Alice said weakly: "I think I know such a place, Doctor..."

""""""""""""""""

The day slowed to a crawl once again; as the last rowdy patient was given a dose of heavy sedative, his manic cries ceased entirely, and once again, it was a boring day at Rutledge's Asylum. Just one more round of filling out patient notes, one more day of organizing, one more day of preparing the medicines and therapeutic devices-

"Hey everyone!" shouted a nurse's voice from down the corridor, "Alice is back!"

The mere mention of that name sent everyone who heard into surprised shock. Alice? Here? All the nearby doctors gathered at the door to the waiting room to see if it was real. Sure enough, there was a tall, well-dressed stranger at the front desk, with the (supposedly former) madwoman right beside him!

"But...how did you even get in?" asked the secretary at the front desk, who was speaking to the stranger: "The asylum gates are locked at this time!"

"It's simple, really; I'm a special envoy from Scotland Yard! Here's my identification," replied the stranger, as he produced a small piece of paper with a protective leather case. The secretary leaned in to the outstretched paper, and adjusted her reading-glasses...and then sat back down, and said to him: "I'm sorry I doubted you, sir. Shall I call one of the doctors in to assist you and the girl?"

"Don't worry yourself," said Dr. Wilson as he walked through the door, "I am Dr. Heironymous Q. Wilson, Alice's supervisor while she was institutionalized at this facility."

"Pleased to meet you, Dr. Wilson," said the stranger as he shook the doctor's hand. "Alice told me all about you. I'm the Doctor, at your service."

"Doctor Who?" asked Dr. Wilson.

"Nonono, just 'the Doctor.' It's my... codename."

Dr. Wilson mulled over it for a second...and then looked at Alice; instantly, he noticed that her eyes were closed, and the stranger was guiding her by her hand.

"Has something happened to Alice?" asked Dr. Wilson. "Anything we can do?"

The Doctor's expression, upon being asked this question, became both very happy and deadly serious at the same time, and then he said: "You still have the 'black zone' special room, right?"

"Umm...yes..."

"Is it unoccupied at the moment?"

"Yes…"

"Well, Alice and I need to spend the night there, possibly longer…after a few adjustments are made, of course. And yes, there is a very good reason, but nothing you would understand."

…

After Dr. Wilson got over the extreme oddity of the Doctor's request, he straightened himself up, and asked: "What sort of adjustments do you require?"

"""""""""""""

"Well done, that's finished with. Now, go get the other one." directed the Doctor, some air of unspoken authority spurring the handymen to immediate obedience.

As they left, Dr. Wilson entered and, concern in his voice, spoke to the Doctor: "Sir, I feel I must inform you; the reason we have this room virtually free of any kind of object is because the type of inmate we confine in this area are those who have demonstrated nigh-uncontrollable suicidal tendencies! A mirror, if it were broken, would leave sharp objects perfectly suited for slitting one's wrists! If anything happens in here, and we cannot clean this room well enough-"

"Don't you worry about a thing; these are specially designed mirrors of mine." said the Doctor, tapping his finger on the large mirror, now propped against the northern wall of the (formerly empty) padded room. "Multi-reinforced nano-glass; not even a diamond could scratch this baby. I personally tested that myself, point of fact."

Dr. Wilson looked at the wall-height mirror, then back at the Doctor. "And what if you're wrong?"

"Well, then, all of humanity is doomed. So let's both hope I'm right!" the Doctor exclaimed in a tone of voice that Dr. Wilson couldn't tell if it was serious or jovial. He rubbed his chin in thought, trying to make sense of this half-crazy man...

... when suddenly, just outside the door, one of the carriers' voices asked: "Hey Doctor! Where d'ya want this one?"

"Just bring it on inside, and place it on the wall directly opposite the other one." the Doctor replied. Quickly, Dr. Wilson walked out of the way, as the two men carried in yet another massive mirror. A few 'left a bit'-type directions from the Doctor later, and the mirror was propped up against the southern wall.

The Doctor thanked them, and bid them on their way...as Dr. Wilson finally worked up the courage to say: "Do you even know what you're doing, Doctor?"

"He doesn't. He told me himself."

Both Dr. Wilson and the Doctor turned towards the door, to see Alice and a nurse standing there. "Ah, there you are, Alice!" exclaimed the Doctor. "Did you do everything that I asked?"

"You only 'asked' me to use the toilet...but, yes, I did do that." she said, as she walked forward into the room...and was gently stopped by the Doctor before she hit the wall.

"Thank you, nurse;" said the Doctor, "that lavatory stop will hopefully hold her out for as long as we need."

The nurse nodded, and left. Dr. Wilson sighed, and started to leave himself...when he suddenly heard the Doctor say: "Dr. Wilson, what has Alice told you about her 'Wonderland'?"

Dr. Wilson was understandably surprised by the question, but he deigned to answer it nonetheless: "Well...during her conscious periods, she would talk about bizarre and impossible places nonstop... about conflicts with monsters, and a malevolent 'Red Queen'...and when her primary madness stopped, she kept talking about 'victory over the Queen', as if they were connected. Why do you ask?"

The Doctor nodded, and said: "Well, they are connected. My theory is that if I can help her get into Wonderland, her current troubles will fix themselves...but if it doesn't, I need you to not disturb us at all, if possible."

"Understood, Doctor. We may check on you two on occasion, make sure you're OK, but we won't touch either of you."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Wilson!" exclaimed the Doctor, who began guiding Alice towards one of the mirrors...then, he turned back, and continued: "But be sure to lock the door when you're not checking on us. And if for some reason, there's a statue in here when you check, I need you to seal off this room and never use it again."

"Of course, Doctor. The statue part was a bit odd... but I think I can manage. And you?"

"I know some escapology; I'll let myself out when Alice and I are done."

"I see. Well then, good luck to both of you." And with that, Dr. Wilson closed the door, and locked it tight.

"All right then..." the Doctor said calmly. Then, he gently prompted Alice to sit down, her back up against one of the mirrors on the wall...

Just then, Alice asked: "I heard talk of mirrors in the hallway; what's it for?"

"Like I said: just in case the Angel _does_ get out."

"Yes, I know about that, but you should only need one for that! Why the other?"

"Hmm..." the Doctor thought for a second, and then came up with a suitable answer: "I thought it could help _you_. The books...a few of the ones I read, had a girl enter a world much like your Wonderland via a Looking-Glass, so I figured-"

"Wait..." Alice interrupted: "I did that once! My second trip to Wonderland as a child! This book..."

"Ah, well then," the Doctor interrupted: "That should make this easier; you're right up against one of the mirrors right now...are you ready?"

Alice sighed; there didn't seem to be any point in asking the Doctor questions anyway. "Alright. _Now_ we can just 'get this over with.'"

"Alright then..."

No sooner had he said that, than Alice felt two fingers pressed to both her temples. A second later, some kind of vibration passed from the fingers into her skull, causing her whole head to become slightly numb...

"It's now or never, Alice. On the count of three, we're going to try and get into Wonderland." stated the Doctor, prompting her to brace herself.

"One..."

"Two..."

"THREE!"

Suddenly, she felt another contact against her forehead – obviously the Doctor's forehead. And the instant she felt the contact, she lost track of up and down, and began to feel like the room was spinning...

...and then, she realized it was! It was tilting upwards, trying to make the wall behind Alice into the floor! Alice tried to steady herself, and lean forward...

...but then the Doctor, who obviously wasn't expecting this, toppled over onto her, pushing her right into the mirror...which felt like liquid as she slipped right through it! She flailed about as she went tumbling into the abyss...

...and meanwhile, the Doctor shouted: "GERONIMOOOOO!"

* * *

><p>PHEW! A chapter after a week! I'm impressed with myself!<p>

But next one won't be so easy; we're leaving our world behind, and entering the world of Wonderland...

Those who are following this story, please continue! You encourage me!


	3. Statues in the Vale of Tears

Disclaimer: I do not own American Mcgee's Alice or Doctor Who.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: Statues in the Vale of Tears<p>

* * *

><p>As Dr. Wilson turned away from the 'black zone,' his mind went over the events of the past hour: A man supposedly from Scotland Yard comes in, and demands to spend the night in a maximum-isolation room with a possibly insane woman who refuses to open her eyes. That alone, he could dismiss as an odd event to punctuate a slow day...but then he notes that the madwoman is <em>Alice. <em>He remembers that he struggled to find a cure for her when she was institutionalized, and then she suddenly _cures herself_! Afterwards, aside from the murder trial for Dr. Bumby, he had effectively shut her out of his sensible world.

And now she's back. And the unreadable 'Doctor' is saying she needs to return to Wonderland, the world of her dreams and nightmares, where she had fought for her sanity not six years past. Whatever must force her to return to the nonsensical world of her ramblings and sketches and poems must be a very big problem indeed...and the Doctor wouldn't let him in on any of the details! He felt that familiar feeling of helplessness, of being unable to do anything to help the poor girl, return to him...

"...Wait..." he suddenly said as more memories returned to the front of his mind, "...Of course! That had an effect in the past – it can only do some good now!"

"Oh, excuse me, Dr. Wilson..." said a passing nurse, who had escaped Dr. Wilson's notice until now.

Dr. Wilson apologized, embarrassed at being caught talking to himself... then, he turned towards the nurse, and said: "Nurse?"

"Yes, Dr. Wilson?" the nurse asked.

In response, Dr. Wilson took out her clipboard, and began scribbling something down as he instructed her: "I need you to go off to the telegraph office at once, and send this message to Alice's solicitor, Radcliffe, in Canterbury. We _must_ get that rabbit over here at once!"

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"GERONIMOOOO!"

As the enthusiastic shouting died down, Alice felt the pressure from the Doctor's fingers and forehead leave her skull; however, that was little comfort as she fell down through a howling void, the exact details of which are unclear due to her eyes still being shut.

Just then, as she tumbled wildly, she felt a familiar sensation: Strength, agility, speed, and _confidence,_ all were flowing through her veins, outwards from her heart. On her outside, her change in ability was accompanied by a change in clothing: a blue, knee-length, shoulder-only-sleeved dress, with a white bloodstained apron, and a bow tied behind the waist. Meanwhile, her walking shoes became thigh-high boots, while her legs gained black-and-white striped stockings. This change went largely unnoticed by Alice, until she felt the jingle of her omega-symbol necklace upon her collar.

And then, another sensation familiar to her was felt: the slowing of her descent to a gentle float. At that point, there was no denying it. She had entered Wonderland.

"Ahh," she sighed, "back in Wonderland. I wonder..." And with that, she dared to open her eyes. Instantly, she saw herself floating under the canopy a beautiful rainforest of sprawling trees and floating islands, scattered toys and exotic flora and fauna...and a rock formation bearing an uncanny resemblance to her, and looking like she was crying. She knew then that she was in the Vale of Tears.

More importantly, however, she didn't hear any crumbling or see anything being transmogrified into stone! She was safe from the Angel's attacks in here! She commented on her good fortune as she landed in a patch of tall grass: "It's a good thing the Angel doesn't react to my opening my eyes in Wonderland; it would have been a futile effort if I were fighting blind!"

"_There are none more blind than those who just refuse to __look__, as I hope you already know, Alice."_ crooned the familiar voice of the Cheshire Cat, having just faded into existence on a nearby boulder.

"I'm pleased to see you too, Cat," Alice said to the bony, patterned feline, with sarcasm obvious in her voice. "I don't suppose you know too much of the current situation of Wonderland, being predisposed towards running and hiding as you are."

"_Well, I __can__ tell you that now would be the __perfect__ time for running and hiding...unless you're being targeted by these creatures, in which case running would be pointless."_

"Actually, Cat;" Alice said, "for a change, I come knowing full well that I will have to fight in order to save myself."

"_Then let us all hope you're up to the challenge."_ And with that, the Cheshire Cat began fading away...

…But then Alice and the Cat heard a loud scream descending from above, followed by a loud (albeit muffled) 'WHUMPH!' Alice followed the sound, and looked in the direction of its origin…and saw, a short distance away, a large toadstool collapsed like a heavy weight's been dropped on it! Alice walked towards it, curious as to what new strangeness Wonderland had introduced to her…and then, a humanoid figure in a large red cape (with fancy shoulder decorations) and a peculiar hat pulled itself out of the wreckage!

As Alice looked on, the figure moaned: "Ooh, that wasn't supposed to happen. Lucky thing this cushion was here…"

Instantly, Alice recognized the voice: "Doctor?"

"Alice! Fancy meeting you here, in this place… Last I checked I was supposed to just give you a little push into Wonderland, not enter it myself…"

"_A simple explanation, Doctor: If one pushes too hard to get a boat in the water, you may end up wet yourself,"_ the Cat purred as he appeared right next to the caped Doctor, who jumped back slightly at the unfamiliar voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you startled me, Mr…."

"Cat. Cheshire Cat." said Alice. "He offers advice when I'm in Wonderland…although it isn't always pleasant or useful."

"_Pleased to make your acquaintance, Time Lord."_ As the Cheshire Cat said this, he mocked a bow with his right paw.

"Likewise," said the Doctor as he bowed back…but then, he suddenly looked at the Cat in shock: "Wait, how did you know-"

"_Don't act so surprised, Doctor; a similar thing happened when you met the late Madame de Pompadour."_

As Alice recalled the name from her schooling, she was surprised to hear the Cat mention her…and then, she realized that the Cat implied that she met the Doctor! 'But that's impossible,' she thought to herself; 'he couldn't have been alive that long!'

As she was thinking to herself, the Doctor had finished interpreting Cheshire's statement: "Oh, of course! I read Reinette's mind, and she read mine back…now that I've _entered_ Alice's mind, I must have carried my memories over or something…of course it makes sense that an aspect of Alice's mind would know me! But, how much about me _do_ you know, exactly?"

"_Enough to know you've been fighting demons all your long life…but don't expect any reward for your actions here, these so-called 'Weeping Angels' do not come from God."_ And with that, the Cheshire Cat widened his grin, and faded away, leaving the Doctor and Alice alone.

Alice took in what the Cat said, and then turned towards the Doctor: "So, this...Weeping Angel...If my eyes are still closed, it cannot do anything, right?"

"I believe so." replied the Doctor. "That leaves us to find out where it's rooted in your consciousness, and loosen its hold somehow."

"Very well then; let's go finding."

…...

…...

As they walked, the Doctor looked around, taking in the unfamiliar sights of the Vale of Tears…and then his gaze suddenly went down to the crimson-orange cape he was wearing over his regular outfit: "Hello…where did this come from?"

"Wonderland." Alice stated in a succinct manner.

"Well, thank you, Wonderland! This is a well-crafted cape! I mean, it feels so…and look at these shoulders! They look just like Time Lord ceremonial robes, with the Prydonian Seal and everything! And without that silly neck crest in the back! And the best part about it…" he placed his hand to the ties of the cape, which were tied into a bowtie-type knot; "I still have a bowtie!"

Alice sighed. "You've been transported against your will into a world of madness, and you're happy because you got a _bowtie_?"

"Hey, bowties are cool!" stated the Doctor defensively…and then, he suddenly realized he was wearing a hat. "And speaking of cool…" he said as he took it off his head to look at it…and then he laughed in a near-euphoric expression of glee!

The hat itself, everybody was able to see now, consisted of a flat-topped red central structure, with a white, curled brim around the base.

"What, Doctor?" Alice asked, exasperated.

"It's…a combination Fez and Stetson! It's a _Fezton!_ Hahaha!..." And with that, he replaced the hat on his head, saying: "That's two kinds of cool right there! Wonderland's amazing!"

Alice sighed at the Doctor's pointless vanity, and turned away from him…to find a gigantic moth in a top hat darting through the trees, a frightened expression on its face!

"DOCTOR, LOOK OUT!" Alice shouted as she threw herself on the ground. The Doctor's attention was grabbed, and he followed suit…

…just in time for the massive insect to pass directly over them, at speeds a horse-racer would be envious of!

"Blimey! That thing nearly ran us over! What was it?"

"A moth," answered Alice, simply.

"Like I said…Wonderland's amazing." The Doctor repeated, this time in a more serious tone.

"It looked…scared of something." Alice observed.

"Wonderland's in danger." the Doctor remarked. And with that, both of them turned to look in the direction the moth was headed…

"But from what?" both of them asked. Then, they turned around…

And suddenly, in the path that the giant moth came _from_, stood three human-sized, winged, statues, their hands over their eyes.

"Doctor!" exclaimed Alice, shocked; "Are those…Weeping Angels?"

"...They must be!" exclaimed the Doctor.

"But...I thought the Angel was forced to halt its progress when I closed my eyes! How can it be threatening me now?"

As if on cue, the Cheshire Cat reappeared in order to say this: _"The damage the Angel managed to inflict upon your mind still remains. What also remains to be seen is if that damage is enough to make you mad."_

"What did he mean by that?" the Doctor asked Alice, his gaze still focused on the Angels.

"This is my mind; If I die in here, I go insane in the real world."

Instantly, the Doctor's face gained a horrified expression; "And if you go insane, you probably won't know it isn't safe to open your eyes..." he said, and Alice responded by nodding.

"Okay then..." the Doctor began thinking, and the result of that thinking was brought up aloud: "Okay, we need to find some way around them-"

"Why not we go _through_ them?" asked Alice, her fists clenching up. Out of anyone's visual range, the Cheshire Cat's grin grew slightly wider.

"That's the whole reason the Angels turn to stone when they're being looked at;" replied the Doctor to Alice's question: "Their quantum-locking ability _literally_ turns them to stone when anyone's around, because it's impossible to kill a stone."

"_Is it really?"_ asked the Cheshire Cat, _"A heart of stone can still be broken, after all..."_ And with that, Cheshire faded away.

The Doctor paused for a second... and then said: "Okay, but there's still _two_ reasons we can't fight them. One, I'm not much of a fighter. Two, we don't have any..."

"-weapons?" Immediately after finishing the Doctor's sentence, Alice held out her hand, and energy swirled around it for a second...before coalescing into a massive hobby-horse, one resembling a white unicorn! She quickly gripped it like it were a sledgehammer, and told the Doctor: "Keep them still for me. I'm going to see if smashing them is as good as killing them."

As Alice stomped towards the Angels, the Doctor looked on in horror...but then, the Cheshire Cat's voice appeared from over his shoulder: _"What's wrong, Doctor? Isn't squashing the doubts, phobias, and manias that haunt your mind a good thing?"_

"I...just have this...thing with killing, that's all."

"_Well, take solace in the fact that, unlike the Time Lords, or the Daleks, or the Cybermen, these are literally figments of a twisted imagination. Destroying the bad in this case actively creates more good, unlike in the real world, where all it creates is guilt."_ And with that, the Doctor ceased to feel the Cat's prescence.

As the Doctor turned his focus back to Alice, instead of the voice behind him, he saw that she had the Hobby-horse ready to smash one of the statues...

...when suddenly, he felt himself get picked up and thrown across the clearing, over a tall bush! As he tumbled through the air, he managed to catch a glimpse of his attacker: A fourth Weeping Angel.

The instant he landed on the other side of the bush, he quickly realized: Alice didn't have eyes on the back of her head, and the Cheshire Cat doesn't seem willing to appear. No one was watching the fourth Angel!

….

On Alice's side, she had just brought the hobby-horse down on one of the statues, knocking off one of it's arms...when suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her back! As she winced in pain, she instinctively closed her eyes – and the instant she did, she felt cold, clammy arms grasp her eyes, her neck, her heart, and her arms. She began to feel the strenth slowly drain out of her, as her limbs grew steadily weaker.

Doing what she could do, she shouted out: "DOCTOR! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Within a matter of seconds, she heard the Doctor's reply: "A FOURTH ANGEL THREW ME WHERE I CAN'T SEE THE BATTLE! WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"THEY'RE KILLING ME, YOU NITWIT! WHAT ELSE _WOULD_ THEY BE DOING?!"

"...HOLD ON, ALICE! I'LL THINK OF SOME WAY TO GET YOU OUT OF THIS!"

"WELL HURRY!" she shouted...and then she suddenly felt her jaw go numb with weakness, as were various other parts of her body.

…...

The Doctor rushed through the trees, desperate to find some way to re-join the battle...yet whenever he looked in the direction of Alice's fading struggles, he could only see a massive hedge or giant rock faces, and a massive slug...

...Wait, thought the Doctor: A massive slug...with a monocle on one of its eye-stalks! As he looked on, moving from the peculiar detail to the rest of the elephant-sized slug, he discovered that it was moving! At a pace that would resemble human walking, but still, it was alive, not part of the scenery! The wheels began turning in the Doctor's brain...

...and then, he called out: "Hey, mister slug! Perhaps you could go help my friend over there? She's having some trouble with some statues!"

The slug's eye-stalks swiveled around towards the fight, then back at the Doctor; what would count for a mouth opened up, and the Doctor heard: **"Wwwhhhhyyyy ssssshhhhoooouuulllddd Iiiii?"**

"(Sigh) I didn't want to have to do this, but..." the Doctor began as he reached into the coat under his cape, and pulled out a small leather folder. He opened it up, and showed the paper inside to the slug, saying: "If you do, I might be convinced to set up shop elsewhere."

The slug leaned in closer, used its other eyestalk to adjust its monocle...and then reared back up in fear! **"Aaaaa SSSSAAAAALLLLLTTTT MMMMEEEERRRRCCCCHHHHAAAANNNNTTT?!"** it exclaimed, shortly before turning towards the site of Alice's struggle.

"**Oooooookkkkaaaaayyyyy, Iiiiii'llll hhhheeeeelllllpppp yyyyoooouuuurrr fffrrriiieeennnddd!"**

"That's more like it." stated the Doctor, as he watched the giant slug smash through the hedge barrier separating him from Alice.

The slug's eyestalks focused on the Angels…instantly granting Alice relief from the strength-draining! As she panted and wheezed, she heard the Doctor call out: "Okay now, squish the statues a _little_ bit, and then move back so I can pull Alice out."

Alice heard nothing in response…but then, she felt a massive heated body move up to her, and press itself against the Angels. Alice heard lots of cracking, and then felt the arms of the Angels falling off of her. Mere seconds later, she felt her strength slowly coming back to her, as two familiar hands dragged her out of the gathering of statues and set her down on the grass.

Slowly, Alice opened her eyes, and saw the Doctor kneeling over her…holding some kind of metal tube with a green glowing tip, which was emitting a soft whistling sound, and waving it over her! Before Alice could ask him what he was doing, he gave the little…thing a shake, causing four little claws to extend from the tip. He looked at it intently, and then put it away (closing it up first), saying: "Well, with the Angels broken like they are, you should be regaining your full strength in about… five minutes, give or take."

And then, the Doctor turned away from her, and said: "Thanks! You can go now!" to someone outside of Alice's field of vision. Then, she realized she had the strength, and turned her head around…to see a giant slug with a monocle was the creature the Doctor was addressing!

"**Yyyyyyoooooouuuuu'rrrrrreeee wwwwwweeeeeelllllllccccoooommmmeeee! Ppppplllleeeeaaaassseee sssssttttaaaayyy aaaawwwwwaaaaayyyyyy fffffrrrrrooooommmmm mmmmeeeee ffffrrrrrooooommmmm nnnnnoooooowwwww ooooonnnnn!"** replied the slug as it slithered away.

Alice turned back towards the Doctor, and (weakly) asked: "What…did you do to frighten it so?"

"Simple, really;" the Doctor replied as he pulled out some leather-bound paper from his coat: "I showed it this."

"…It's blank, Doctor."

"Yes, but, to the _slug_, it looked like a license to sell salt and salt-related products! You see, this is psychic paper: It shows what I _want_ it to show. Look at it again," he said, and Alice obliged…and this time, the paper said: _Like This._

Alice was surprised to say the least. "Magic paper? But…you didn't tell me Wonderland gave you that!"

"That's because I have it in the _real_ world as well. Same thing as this," he said as he pulled the metal tube out again: "my 'sonic screwdriver.' Basically, this thing is a thousand handy tools all rolled into one."

Alice, who by now had half of her strength back, sat up and looked at the Doctor's tools in shock. "Those strange things...are from the real world?"

"Just like the Weeping Angels, and myself." replied the Doctor.

"_Believe it or not, Alice, the real universe is bigger than just the earth and its sun. Some of the universe's wonders are so wondrous, they make even Wonderland seem commonplace,"_ both heard the Cheshire Cat comment.

Alice sat there for a second, taking it all in... and then asked: "I'm beginning to get all that...but what about you? You seem human enough."

"You'd be surprised how many planets have human-like creatures on them; Me, I'm a Time Lord, from the distant world of Gallifrey. I basically fly around the universe in my TARDIS, having random adventures...much like what you apparently do in Wonderland, actually."

"...I believe I have all my strength back now;" Alice noted, changing the subject: "those Angels are dead, I assume?"

With a quick glance behind him, to confirm that the Angel-rubble was still just rubble, he said: "I guess so...but remember what the Cat said? Those weren't the actual Angel we're hunting, just representations of the damage it did to your mind."

"Then the fight is not yet over." Alice remarked.

The Doctor helped her to her feet, and they were off.

* * *

><p>Thank you all for your generous support of my project here! Keep on reading to find out what kind of scrapes these two (plus one cat) could get into in Wonderland...<p> 


	4. Seeking Familiar Faces

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or American Mcgee's Alice.

Note: Not _all_ of Alice's abilities from the game will be displayed; just so you know.

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: Seeking familiar faces<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Come to Rutledge Asylum at once. Stop. Bring Alice's Rabbit. Stop. Don't reply, just come quickly. Stop.<em>"

Those words, which Dr. Wilson had sent via telegram to Radcliffe about an hour ago, coursed throughout his mind as he sat in his office. He knew that even the fastest horse would take a long time to cover the sixty miles separating London from Canterbury. However, if it could help Alice out of whatever predicament she was in, it would definitely be worth the wait.

Because, as much as he wanted her out of his sensible life, he knew that she deserved one of her own.

Eventually, he decided that enough time had passed, and he went to check on them. With a careful and silent motion, he opened the door to the 'black zone'... to see Alice leaned up, in a kneeling position, against one of the mirrors, with the Doctor in front of her, gently clutching her head with his hands. And the two of them, upon a slightly closer inspection, seemed to be in one of the most deep sleeps that he had ever seen.

With a resigned sigh, Dr. Wilson began to close the door...but then stopped, squeezed his head in through the gap, and whispered into the room:

"_Alice... hold on. We're going to give you your rabbit soon... just thought you should know. And Doctor...whatever you're doing, keep her safe._"

And with that, Dr. Wilson finally closed the door.

"""""""""""""""""""""""

The Doctor helped Alice to her feet, and they were off.

After about five minutes of walking through more tall trees, the Doctor pulling out his sonic screwdriver now and then to check for hostiles (of which there were none), he finally asked: "Where exactly are we going, Alice? Do we know exactly what part of your mind equates to the visual centre?"

Instantly, Alice stopped: "...No. I assumed Wonderland would show us the way. It always did in the past...made me wonder why I didn't take those paths before..."

"_Only Alice can fix the problems of Alice's mind;"_ began the now-visible Cheshire Cat:_ "Deep inside her, she unconsciously knows what must be done, and thus, all of Wonderland knows what she must do; all that needs to happen is for her to gain the courage and wit to do it in the first place."_

"...I understand, Cat;" said Alice, "Problem is, according to the Doctor, my _sub_conscious isn't becoming _con_scious fast enough."

Feeling that would be a good spot to jump in, the Doctor asked the grinning cat: "Yes... I do want to get this Angel business taken care of quickly, so Alice can go back to her normal life...is there any way we could speed things up?"

"_Well..._" the Cat placed a paw to his chin in thought for a moment, and then: _"...there is always the White Rabbit. He always knows where and when he needs to be, even though he is habitually late."_

At the mention of that name, Alice (and the Doctor) straightened up in recognition: "That might work!" both of them said together...and then, after the silent, embarrassed exchange of apologies was over, the Doctor asked: "Can you call him over to our position?"

"_If Alice didn't tell you I was a coward, she is telling you very little indeed. No surprise, really, given what she's been through..." _he looked in Alice's direction in a way that, combined with his words, made the Doctor look at her and realize: All was not as it seemed with Alice.

"_Regardless,"_ the Cat continued,_ "I will not venture to the dungeons of Queensland without armed escort such as you two."_

Instantly, Alice's face changed to one of absolute horror. "Queensland? Why? Why the Red Queen?" she asked.

"More importantly, where's the shortest route _to_ this 'Queensland?'" asked the Doctor, prompting an expression of shock from Alice

The Cheshire Cat sighed, and said: _"So impatient, and so mindless of the danger…"_

"Yes, well, I'm no stranger to danger…heh, that rhymes…anyway, I'd grow quite bored rather quickly if we took the long way, so is there a short way?

"_I guess you could try the train…if it can get up and running, that is."_ And with that, the Cat took his leave.

"…Aaand he left before he could tell us exactly _where_ the train is," the Doctor complained: "Never offering enough explanation, that's not a kind of person I'd want to be." (That last statement earned an eyeroll from Alice.) "So, that leaves us to find it on our own, with only _slightly_ less direction than we already-"

"The Hatter."

"Come again, Alice?" inquired the Doctor as to the sudden interruption.

"The Mad Hatter and his factories. That's where they'd be making the train in the first place. Might be a good place to start."

His familiar smile returning, the Doctor exclaimed: "That's the spirit, Alice! Show that Angel who's boss!"

"Right...just let me climb this tree, so I can get a general idea of where to go."

…

…

Following the direction that Alice was able to discern, the two of them eventually reached the edge of a cliff. Floating in the air before them, they first saw a massive black fortress made out of clockwork, tea sets, and other mechanical junk. Then they noted the distance between it and the cliff they were standing on, broken up by floating gears, islands, and toys...but none of them within jumping distance, the Doctor thought.

"...Well? Can you jump?" Alice suddenly asked, to the surprise of the Doctor, as she gestured towards a nearby floating island.

"Not _that_ far," protested the Doctor; "and neither can you! Why are we even here?"

"Well, this looks like the only paths to the Hatter's factories. Besides, this is _Wonderland_, remember?"

And with that, Alice stepped back about seven paces...and then rushed towards the cliff at top speed! Before the Doctor could stop her, she had already launched herself several feet away from the cliff edge...

…and then twirled herself in midair, launching herself slightly higher, and extending her jumping distance in a burst of blue butterflies! As the Doctor looked on, she did it again, extending her jump long enough to reach one of the floating islands! He stared in wonder as she landed feet-first on the landmass.

"Your turn, Doctor!" called Alice from her new perch: "Wonderland wouldn't have left you with nothing! Just give it a try!"

The Doctor paused, still unsure of how to work that jumping…but then, as if he heard his thoughts, the Cheshire Cat appeared right next to him and said: _"Where there's a will, there's a way. Hackneyed as it may be, that phrase fits perfectly in Wonderland."_ And with that, he disappeared yet again.

"…Why doesn't he just stick around if we need his advice?" the Doctor asked Alice, to which she responded with a shrug. The Doctor nodded back, and then continued: "Still, I think I understand what he means…"

The Doctor took a quick breath, gripped the edges of his cape with his hands, and then launched himself off the edge of the cliff. Instantly, he felt gravity begin to pull him downwards…but then he waved his arms (and his cape with them) in a flapping motion, and felt a burst of (hot) air underneath him propel him upwards and forwards! He grinned inwardly with confidence as he repeated the action, finally closing the distance between him and the little floating rock. He beamed inwardly with pride…

…and then landed face-first on the island, earning a small bruise on his front, and a slight giggle from Alice.

After a minute, he pulled himself up, and straightened out his cape, bowtie, fezton, and other clothes, as he said: "Well, at least I made it!"

"That you did, Doctor…but we still have a few more to go." And with that Alice gestured towards the group of floating islands and gears before them.

"(Sigh) Well, I guess I should get going..."

...

...

After lots of jumping (and awkward cape-flapping on the Doctor's part), the two of them finally reached the massive gate to the fortress.

The Doctor panted: "Well, we made it. I don't believe I'll be eating much after all that crashing…"

"Don't worry, Doctor, you won't stick around long enough to get used to it…" said Alice hopefully. And with that, she began walking towards the gate…

"Oh Alice!" called a high-pitched voice from off in the distance, "Don't bother going that way, it's blocked! Don't want any unexpected visitors! Of course, we've been expecting you and your friend 'Doctor' for some time now!"

Both Alice and the Doctor turned around to the left, along the walls of the fortress...and found themselves looking at a human-child-sized Dormouse, with engineer's clothes and wheels for back legs!

Instantly, Alice dropped into a battle-ready pose: "Dormouse. I haven't seen you and the March Hare since you helped the Dollmaker try and destroy Wonderland! Why are you out here all on your own...unprotected?"

"No forgiveness for past misdeeds," the Dormouse sighed: "I should have known."

Alice's eyes narrowed. "Yes. You should have."

Instantly, the Doctor knew what she was planning; he walked over to her, reached his arm out, and said: "Now, Alice, whatever the situation between you two is, we should always leave an option open-"

Instead of listening to the Doctor, Alice flicked her wrist; tiny motes of energy floated around her hand briefly, and then formed a large kitchen knife with bloodstains and odd decorative designs along the blade. She flicked her new weapon around in a threatening manner, and then rushed towards the Dormouse saying: "You will not impede our quest!"

Before the Doctor's surprised eyes, Alice leaped up in the air, bringing the blade down on the half-mechanical rodent...

...and then have it clang uselessly on the sword-like left arm of another half-mechanical creature, a Hare, which just appeared from behind the Dormouse!

Surprised, but not stunned, Alice swung the blade at the human-sized Hare, only to have her strikes effortlessly parried by its sword-arm. With each unsuccessful thrust, her frustration visibly grew.

Eventually, the Hare leaped backwards to join its Dormouse companion, stopping to catch its breath as Alice did the same. Then, it spoke in a thick accent:

"Simmer down, Alice, we're not 'ere t'fight...tho, if ye still need a sparrin' partner t' blow off more steam, I'd be willin' t' oblige ye in a few more minutes."

Both the expressions of Alice and the Doctor became surprised; Alice spoke: "You expect me to believe that nonsense just like _that?_"

"_Even someone with half a mind can figure that a Weeping Angel is something that doesn't belong. You have allies in your cause, Alice; use them."_

"The Cat's right, Alice;" stated the Dormouse, rolling up in front of the March Hare: "Besides, the Hatter rebuilt us, and we're all better now! We're all having tea parties again!"

"Who needs the Dollmak'r anyway? We sure don't!" said the March Hare. "So, if it's all th' same t' ye, Alice, perhaps you could put tha' Vorpal Blade a' yours away till ye _really_ need it? I wish I could put away _my_ weapon the same…but Hatter's not made a better arm f'r me." To demonstrate his point, the Hare twirled his sword-arm around.

Alice looked at the twosome, then at her weapon, then back at them…she sighed, and let go of the knife, causing it to disappear into thin air.

"Hold on…" said the Doctor all of a sudden, curious: "That thing…called the Vorpal Blade? Just like the hero in the 'Jabberwocky'?"

Alice looked at the Doctor in shock: "What are you talking about?"

"The 'Jabberwocky' poem! You know…"

_'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  
>Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;<br>All mimsy were the borogoves,  
>And the mome raths outgrabe.<em>

…

The Doctor noticed that Alice was even more shocked. "What?" he asked: "I thought you knew the poem!"

"I do! It's just…only I do! I've never shared that poem with anyone else!"

"Oh…well…" the Doctor struggled, attempting to find a way to say: 'I'm from the future' in a way she'll understand…

"Come on, you two!" stated the Dormouse, all of a sudden: "The Hatter is waiting!"

"C'mon! We'll show ye the VIP entrance!" said the March Hare, beckoning them over with his good arm. The Dormouse, as well, turned around and led the way.

The Doctor began after them…and then didn't hear any footsteps behind him! He turned around to Alice, saying they should follow, but Alice simply said: "…How can I trust you, Doctor? You've basically claimed to know things no one is meant to know!"

The Cheshire Cat appeared between the two of them in order to say: _"The time for secrets to be revealed will come soon, but it is not now. Now, we must find the Hatter, get to Queensland, find the Rabbit, and find the Angel."_

As he disappeared, Alice looked at the Doctor again…and then, with a sigh, started after him and the Dormouse and the Hare.

….

….

"Welcome, Alice! Welcome, Doctor! You're just in time for Tea!"

As the two of them heard the Hatter's greeting voice, they looked at their surroundings: They were in the middle of a massive clearing resembling a great train station, except with cranes and other assorted machines all over. And from their observation platform, they saw in the center of this clearing, was a massive locomotive. Tiny little workers who shared the Hatter's face were scrambling all over the massive engine, performing all manners of assembly and maintenance, while the Mad Hatter himself was wrapping his imposing figure around the engine's funnel, twisting it into place.

"Hello!" called the Doctor. "I don't suppose that's the train to Queensland?"

"It will be, if the Madcaps can pull this blasted, bloated contraption back together! The Weeping Angel really tore under it!"

"Don't you mean 'through' it?" asked the Doctor… but the Hatter ignored him, and went straight on to his work. Alice remarked: "He's a little self-absorbed, don't bother to correct him."

"Understood. So, how long will the construction be?"

"Oh, it's almost done. We just need to start!"

The Doctor put his palms to his face…as the Cheshire Cat appeared and said: _"He is obsessed with time…and apparently doesn't have the time to speak coherently, only to work."_

The Doctor nodded; "I see," he said...and then he gasped in realization:"I see..."

And with that, he turned back towards the Hatter, leaning over the railing a little; "Hey, could you hurry _something_ up? I can put in a good word with _time_, if you want... after all, I _am_a Time Lord!"

Instantly, that got the attention of the Mad Hatter: "Really? Perhaps you could apologize on my behalf for murdering time? The tricky time has never done a thing I wanted since I killed it!"

"Ummm...I suppose..."

"Splendid!" exclaimed the Hatter; "perhaps now I won't go through so many teacups; now I'll have the time to wash them! Madcaps! We've got the time, let's finish up this railroadery so we can get back to our tea!"

As the sounds of work got more frequent and more pronounced, the Hare, Dormouse, and Alice all looked at the Doctor...who simply smiled in a slightly amused manner.

...

...

In no time at all, really, the locomotive was completed. The Doctor and Alice walked down to the train's loading area, where the Mad Hatter was admiring his handiwork: "Ah, have you seen a finer locomotion anywhere? This thing should get you to Queensland in a hurry!"

"We're still workin' on th' carriages, but fer now, you two can ride on the engine just fine." said the March Hare.

'Thank you all for your work!" exclaimed the Doctor; "But I'm not so hot on driving a mental train; who among you's going to be the engineer?"

"No one!" exclaimed the Dormouse excitedly.

...

"...what do you mean, Dormouse?" asked the Doctor.

"No one _among us_is going to drive the train, that's Mock Turtle's job!"

And with that, the Dormouse gestured behind the two visitors to Wonderland, who turned around to see...a tall turtle with a cow's head walking towards the driver's compartment, with an engineer's outfit draped over his shell! Walking behind him were two...

"Two gryphons? But I thought the Gryphon had died!" exclaimed Alice.

"True," began the smaller of the two mythological creatures: "but we're his sons, nurtured by the light of hope; the hope our father used to bring to Wonderland! I'm the youngest, and my brother's the eldest!"

"We're here because we offered to help our Father's friend, Turtle, with his train;" said the Elder Gryphon: "He's been lost at sea so long, he's worried he's lost his touch at his old job! But with our help, the Looking Glass line should feel like it wasn't even out of business in the first place!"

"Come on, you two; we've got to get to Queensland!" shouted the Mock Turtle as he climbed into the locomotive: "All aboard who's coming aboard!"

"That would be us, Alice!" shouted the Doctor as he rushed towards the Turtle.

"...Is there another way to Queensland? I really don't like trains."

Upon hearing Alice's words, the Doctor stopped quite suddenly. He turned around to her, and said: "Oh, come on, Alice! We've come all this way, and you didn't mention this _why?_ Look, let's just get on the train, OK?"

Alice crossed her arms in response: "I won't be going on the train, Doctor."

"Come On, Alice! We're all going on the train, or else we're stuck here!" exclaimed the Doctor.

"Actually..."

Everyone turned towards the Elder Gryphon, who continued: "If the Doctor pitches in with my brother and Turtle, I can fly alongside the train...with Alice. I have grown large enough to carry, anyway."

"..." Everybody was speechless as Alice walked towards the Elder Gryphon...until the Hatter proclaimed: "That settles it! Doctor on the train, Alice on the Gryphon! We can get moving now! Open the gates, the train is going out!"

Across the massive room, little Hatter-like Madcaps started scurrying to and fro, pulling levers and turning wheels...and after a minute of this, the entire section of the wall that the train was facing had completely slid away, leaving the railway open!

The train let out a massive whistle, and with Turtle, Younger Gryphon, and the Doctor at the controls, it began pushing its way across the track. And right beside it, the Elder Gryphon, with Alice on his back, flapped at a slow pace so as not to lose sight.

"Next stop, Queensland!" shouted out the Mock Turtle as the coachless train (and flyby) exited the station.

….

"Ah, my old friends; now that that's over with, let's get on with our tea party! I can't remember when our last one was! Come on, Hare, Dormy, I've got the table all set up!"

"Jus' like old times, eh, Dormy?"

"Indeed, just...(yawn) let's get it over with. I'm long overdue for a nap."

…...

…...

…...

_WHEEEEESSSHHH!_

With a loud screech and a burst of steam, the engine ground to a halt at its destination. As the occupants departed, Elder Gryphon let Alice down right next to them. All of them looked at their surroundings:

A massive half-organic, half-stone castle stretched out across the horizon, adorned with heart-shaped windows and decorations. Much of the castle had kinds of scaffolding all over it, and those parts that didn't were crumbling and rotten. Through a gaping hole in its outer wall, they saw a massive hedge garden.

"Alice, Doctor..." said the Mock Turtle, "Welcome to Queensland."

* * *

><p>Next time, it's up against the armies of Card Guards once again...or is it?<p>

Thank you everyone who's kept following the story so far!


	5. A new ruler in Queensland

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, or American Mcgee's Alice.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: A New Ruler in Queensland<p>

* * *

><p>"Alice, Doctor..." said the Mock Turtle, "Welcome to Queensland."<p>

The Doctor looked out over the massive castle: "Quite a dingy place isn't it?"

"It fits the Queen of Hearts perfectly;" stated Alice with a disgusted tone: "a rotten world to fit her rotten morals."

The Mock Turtle nodded: "Indeed, while the Queen reigned, madness and terror were all the people of Wonderland knew. Now she's confined to Queensland, and as long as we stay out o'there, we're safe."

"I understand, but the White Rabbit's in there, and we need to get him out. So who's with me?"

As soon as the Doctor said those words, the Turtle recoiled: "What? You want me to go in _there_? I'll barely walk in the gate, and the Queen'll have a boiling hot new bowl of Mock Turtle soup!"

Alice sighed: "And a few minutes ago, you seemed quite confident while you were driving the train. And even then, you were the stationmaster of the Looking-Glass Line before, not engineer!"

"Work my way back up the chain, Alice; besides, the railway's fine, as long as it runs _alongside_ Queensland, not _through_ it!"

The Elder Gryphon took this moment to step forward: "And as much as I would like to accompany you, me and my brother don't have anywhere near the combat experience of our late father. The Queen's forces are merciless and without number – we'd be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes. So instead, we'll guard the train… just in case you need it again."

"But Turtle, Gryphons," asked the Doctor, "Is there any reason to be afraid of her? I mean, if the Weeping Angel's attack made the Dormouse and March Hare become good, why won't it do the same for the Queen?"

"We all thought it would;" began the Elder Gryphon: "However, those who approached her with the intent of a treaty were captured and thrown in the dungeons; that's how the Rabbit wound up there in the first place. And the same will happen to you two if you're not careful."

"I understand," replied the Doctor; "And don't worry; 'careful' is my middle name."

"How are we sure," asked Alice, "if we don't know your first or last name?"

"Good point, Alice…what do you say to just going over there and getting this over with?"

With a sigh, Alice said "Very well," and walked over to join the Doctor.

"Good luck then, Alice, Doctor," said the Younger Gryphon in his farewell: "Safe journey through Queensland."

With a thankful wave towards the train crew, the Doctor and Alice stepped off the station and began walking towards the outer wall of Queensland…

….

….

Much sneaking and silent moving later, the two of them managed to reach the outer wall, and scrambled over a massive breach in the wall.

Instantly they found themselves in the middle of a vast hedge maze, with plant-walls the size of a two story house, and heart-shaped stone decorations strewn throughout. As they ventured further into the maze (looking for a way into the castle's inner courtyard), they noticed another thing about the plants: occasionally, the hedges would be replaced with equally-tall Rose-bushes and Rose-trees, both with brilliant red flowers.

As soon as they noticed this, the two of them suddenly heard, from around the corner, a loud scream, followed by a CRASH! Thinking someone was in trouble, the two of them rushed towards the sound…

…and as soon as they rounded the corner, they found a sick-looking Card (the Five of Clubs) sprawled on his back right next to a ladder! Alice instantly noted that he didn't have a skull for a face, like when she _last_ visited Queensland…but the Card Guards were still dangerous, perhaps even more so, when they were alive. She quickly drew the Vorpal Blade, and forced the Doctor back behind her.

The Card sat up…only to find the sharp end of the blade inches from his face! "I'd _stay_ down if I were you," said Alice in a threatening manner, holding the decorated knife in between her and the Queen's servant; "You Card Guards stand no chance against me."

"No, hold on, please!" the Card said as it scrambled backwards: "I'm not a Card G_uard_; I'm a Card G_ardener_!"

As Alice grew surprised, the Card Gardener continued: "I'm fixing the Queens roses! Please don't hurt me; I've done nothing to you!"

…

After a brief standoff, Alice slowly lowered her knife…and finally let it fade into the air.

"Oh thank you Alice! You really are more merciful than experience has led us to believe!"

And with that, the Card Gardener picked himself up off the ground, and went back to his ladder. As he climbed up, Alice's eyes followed it up, where she saw…a can of paint balanced on the top, with streaks of red along its side!

"Is that what I think it is?" she called up to the Gardener, eying the paint; when she thought she had the gardener's attention, she continued: "Are you painting the roses again? You must be very incompetent gardeners if you can't tell the difference between the seeds of _red_ roses and _white_ roses!"

"It's not our fault this time!" the Gardener called back: "When that crazy statue attacked, it turned all of these roses into stone! I'm just touching them up so they at least _look_ like they're alive when the Queen returns!"

With an eyebrow raise, Alice's curiosity was aroused: "When she _returns_? Isn't she always in her castle?"

"Not anymore – now she's in hiding!" the Gardener said as he picked out his paintbrush and got to work on the grayed-out roses; "The Knave of Hearts runs the place in her absence…which would be alright if he wasn't toadying to that statue monster…"

Alice gasped. "The Knave's a servant of the Weeping Angel? What would an Angel want with Queensland?"

"To be honest, Alice, I'm just the Gardener. You'd do better off asking one of the Guards…like the guy who's kidnapping your friend in the funny hat," said the Gardener as he pointed behind Alice with his paintbrush. Instantly, Alice turned around…to see an actual Card Guard (a Seven-of-Spades) dragging the Doctor away, a hand over his mouth so he couldn't scream!

The Card Guard spoke: "Follow me, Alice, and your precious 'Doctor' loses his head!"

However, Alice hardly paid attention; she was focused on the fact that the Guard's mouth wasn't moving with his words! Then, Alice noticed the reason why: over the Guard's face, there was a stone-looking mask that resembled the face of a snarling Weeping Angel!

"You're working with the Angel now? Well, then the Doctor probably won't object to this…"

The very next instant, Alice leapt up into the air above her! And, through use of the twirl-boosts that the Doctor recognized, she closed the distance between her and the enemy...landing on the Card Guard's face with her right foot! The stunned Guard stumbled onto the ground, releasing the Doctor as he clutched his smashed Angel-mask. Then, as he heard a little sound that denoted Alice's landing on the ground, he quickly attempted to reach for the sword on his back.

He had barely gripped the handle before Alice's Vorpal Blade sliced clean through his flat body, killing him instantly.

Alice, with a triumphant smirk, flicked the blood off her weapon...and then turned back towards the Doctor, who was straightening the dents in his odd 'Fezton'-hat, and said: "Did I save you in time, Doctor? Are you unharmed?"

The Doctor turned towards her...a slight degree of annoyance on his face! He said: "Did you see the psychic paper I dropped?"

Alice remembered the weird little scrap of paper from the forest, with a confused face: "What for? For all I know, you were just fiddling with it when the Guard got you, and you dropped it!"

The Doctor sighed, and went over to pick up the psychic paper, which he then showed to Alice.

It said: _Let the Guard take me; he'll get me into the dungeons._

"A perfectly workable plan to get into the dungeons and organize a jailbreak, with minimal need of fighting a supposedly innumerable army of psychotic playing cards," said the Doctor, exasperated: "Aaaaand you ruined it by not thinking before acting!"

"I've met these Cards before, Doctor. They were ruthless every time I did; I've never _needed_ to think, action was all that was required!"

Just then, a slight sound of wind heralded the arrival of the Cheshire Cat: _"Indeed, Alice, that did work in the past. And after all, experience is the best teacher...but then again, not even the best are immune from making mistakes."_

Alice looked down at her inconsistent ally, then to the always-unpredictable Doctor...and realized they had a point. With a sigh, she said: "Oh, very well. But next time, use something a little more effective than an easily-ignored scrap of psychic paper."

"_I agree. Communicate your intentions more clearly, Doctor. We are not used to relying on subtle signals... which still puts us several degrees above the intellect of our enemies, who can't even comprehend some obvious hints, much less any subtle ones."_ Satisfied with his words, the Cheshire Cat faded away once again.

….

After a pause, as they both collected themselves, the Doctor said: "Alright, so, tricking them into taking us in is out of the question, and I don't think you have the energy for a fight against the _entire_ Card Guard army... so we're going to have to find a way to sneak past them."

"Should be easy. Like the Cat said, they're dumb as nails."

The Doctor nodded, and began to say: "Right, so! Let's head on over to the castle and-" when he suddenly paused.

Alice asked him what made him stop talking...and he answered by saying: "Hey Cheshire Cat! I've got a question!"

Mere seconds later, the Cat appeared: _"Oh, very well, but be quick – I was just in the middle of preparing for a cat-nap."_

"Alright...sorry, by the way...anyway, most residents of Wonderland know what I look like, right? Due to the conditions of my crossing into here and all?"

The Cat nodded, and the Doctor continued: "Well, what about the Card Guards?"

"_They know...but knowing something, and caring enough to use it, are two different things."_

The Doctor paused for a second, taking in what the Cat said, and then said "Alright, thanks!"

As the Cat faded, an irritated Alice asked "Alright, Doctor, what was all that about?"

"Dumb as nails, right? Well..." And with that, the Doctor rushed over to the bisected Card Guard, and started pulling it's outfit off!

Alice suddenly understood the Doctor's train of thought. "You're going to disguise yourself as a Card Guard?"

"Well, yes, last I checked."

"But...aren't you a little...you know, thin?" Alice said, gesturing at her sides as she did.

"No, but that can be fixed: A few branches from the local flora should do the trick!"

By this time, the Doctor had pulled the outfit off the Card Guard, and was holding his buzzing 'screwdriver' to the Weeping Angel-mask, in an obvious attempt to repair it. Alice, meanwhile, seeing nothing else to do, went over to the nearby hedges and started slashing branches off with her Vorpal Blade.

…..

…...

"Um, excuse me? I've got Alice here, could you open the gates so I can take her in?"

Had the Card Guards (all of whom had Angel-masks) standing in front of the giant castle been a little more alert, they would have seen that the Seven-of-Spades escorting Alice across the moat had his legs a little too close together, the edges of the torso were sagging except in a few areas (where they were, in reality, propped up by hedge-branches), there was a bloody line all across the waist, and the mask had obviously been glued together.

However, they were not, and thus opened the gates as soon as Seven-of-Spades requested them be. The awkward-looking Card Guard and his prisoner walked in as soon as the doors were open enough, after which they were again closed.

The two of them found themselves in a massive hallway with an arched, gothic roof. Doorways of all varieties opened to myriad hallways and passages. Card Guards of all suits lined the walls, each carrying a different weapon: Clubs had maces with appropriately-shaped weights, Diamonds had spears with diamond-shaped points, Spades had swords with spade-shaped hilts, and Hearts had pole-axes with heart-shaped blades.

"_Alright, Alice,_" the Card Guard whispered to Alice, "_we're in, now to get into the dungeons, so we-_"

Suddenly, a high-pitched, yet booming voice sounded out: "Ah, thank you for delivering Alice here! I guess we don't need to search for her 'Doctor' anymore! After all, once every aspect of Alice's mind, including Alice, serves the Angel, he will be completely without hope."

The Card Guard and his prisoner turned towards the source of the voice...and saw a large figure in grey knight's-armor walking towards them! His armor itself was adorned with additional plates (resembling metallic playing-cards) sticking out all over, making it look like he had scraps of grey paper glued all over him. On his back, there were slimy, red wings made of tentacles, decorated with plates that, again, looked like miniature cards. His helmet-less head looked like a red, fleshy version of a Weeping Angel's head, except with a decoration of tentacles behind it... and within his mouth were even more tentacles.

"Let me guess," Alice said, "you're the Knave of Hearts."

"Only partially correct;" said the Knave, the tentacles within his mouth weaving between his jagged teeth as he did: "I am also he who will destroy your mind, leaving all that beautiful neural energy for the Angel to feed on! And once the new Angel is born, the surprise of the primitive human race will be total!"

At this point, the Seven-of-Spades spoke up: "Ummm, Yes sir! Now, with your permission, I'd like to be the one to escort our prisoner to the dungeon…"

"There is no need of that;" the Knave stated: "We shall execute her right here! That was the plan I outlined after all."

As the awkward-looking Card Guard stepped backwards in surprise, the Knave continued with a sneer… "Of course, _you_ wouldn't know, would you…_Doctor_!"

And before a second had passed, a mass of slimy tentacles exited the Knave's throat, and grasped the Angel-mask around the Card Guard's face, ripping it off with such force that the Guard was thrown face-first into the ground!

The Knave laughed as he observed his handiwork: the Doctor, with the outfit of a Card Guard, lying prone on the floor with identity exposed.

"Poor, poor Doctor…" As the Doctor pulled himself up, the Card Guard began speaking again; "If only you had known that within the Castle, the Card Guards _never_ act, except the way _I_ order them to…and even when they leave, it is with guidelines outlined by _me_. Perhaps you _might_ have slipped beneath my notice, and actually _gotten_ to the White Rabbit! As it stands, however, your execution is ready to begin."

And with that, the Knave shouted: "SURROUND THEM!" And, upon his command, all the Card Guards lining the hall moved towards them and pointed all their weapons at the two intruders (Clubs pointed their maces, Diamonds their spears, Spades their swords, and Hearts their pole-axes).

As soon as they were surrounded on all sides by the Guards, the ones in front of them parted, allowing the Knave to approach them. He flapped his tentacle-wings in anticipation as he stalked towards the two captives with gnashing teeth.

Then, four meters away from them, he raised his wings up into the air…and as the tips of the tentacles grew razor-sharp claws, he exclaimed: "Thus cometh the Angel's grace! Hahahahaha!"

"…WAIT!"

Alice's sudden exclamation put pause to the Knave, who was just about to slash at the two captives with his tentacles. Alice used the opportunity to explain herself: "…Can you grant the condemned her last words?" she asked.

One confused glare later, the Knave growled "Fine," and relaxed his wing-claws.

"Thank you." she said, curtseying to the Knave. Then, after giving a sly wink to the Doctor, she began:

"I find that here would be an excellent time to quote an old friend of mine: the Duchess. She said, '_Speak roughly to your little boy…_'"

"…'_and beat him when he sneezes._'"

Suddenly, before any of the Cards could react, Alice changed her stance, and gathered energy around her arms…which formed a massive, black, metal pepper grinder, the size of a handheld cannon, in her hands! The obvious pig-like decorations gave the thing a sinister appearance, adding to the shock of it suddenly appearing in Alice's arms.

She pointed the gigantic cooking utensil at the Knave, cradling it in her left arm, and used her right hand to turn the handle…causing corns of black pepper to blast from the grinder in the general direction of the Knave of Hearts! As stunned Card Guards looked on, a continuous soft 'cracking' noise accompanied more pepper-shots being fired, and bursting all over the armored Knave's face in showers of black dust!

After about ten seconds of the barrage, the Knave toppled over backwards, causing a path to be opened out of the massive congregation of Cards. Alice wasted no time in scrambling over the Knave in order to reach the outside of the group, and the Doctor (still in his flimsy Card Guard disguise) followed suit.

The Knave recovered the instant after the Doctor was clear, his black eyes glowing red from anger. "GUARDS!" he shouted, "ATTA—aaa…aaa…AAAAA…TCHOOOO!"

The Guards paused in confusion, as their commander gave them a command they didn't know how to follow. The Knave tried to shout his order again, but the pepper all over him forced him to sneeze again.

Meanwhile, Alice and the Doctor ran towards the nearest hallway. Two strokes from Alice's hobby-horse hammer, and the two guards in front of it were knocked aside.

The Knave sneezed twice more, his frustration growing as he saw the two escapees force the doors shut; then, as if to spite him, a muffled buzzing alerted him to the Doctor's infernal screwdriver locking the doors tight.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""

"How long do you think that will hold them, Doctor?"

"Just as long as it takes to chop those doors down, so we'd better get moving!"

Alice nodded, and started running. The Doctor caught up with her a little later, slowing down to shed his Card Guard disguise...and then asked: "By the way, how many weapons do you have on you?"

"The ones you've seen, plus a clockwork bomb, a teapot, and an umbrella."

"...You know, that doesn't really sound like much when you put it that way."

"Don't worry, Doctor; It'll be enough to blast right through whatever the Knave throws at us."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""

CCCERRRAAACCCCKK!

With a loud splinter, the Knave's tentacle-wings ripped the doors right off their hinges. Immediately afterwards, he snarled: "GET THEM! MAKE THEM BEG FOR DEATH!"

The Card Guards wasted no time in hurling their flat bodies through the passageway, all of them screaming for blood...

"Oh, and Ace?" the Knave added, causing the Ace of Hearts to pause. With his minion's attention gathered, the Knave said through clenched teeth:

"Send in the Angels."

* * *

><p>Next time, a whole ton of violence as the two heroes evade the Knave's forces!<p>

Thank you for all of the attention this story's been getting!

However, I do encourage you to check out my other stories as well; they may not be as good as this one (improve through practice and all that) but each have their own merits.


	6. Battle Royale

Disclaimer: I do not own American Mcgee's Alice, or Doctor Who.

Chapter 6: Battle Royale

* * *

><p>"Send in the Angels."<p>

The Ace of Hearts gasped in confusion; "I thought they were to be-"

"Circumstances have conspired to change our plans. We're going to have to do this the messy way…What are you still standing around for? You have your orders, FOLLOW THEM!"

With a salute, the Ace of Hearts dashed away to obey his new command. The Knave watched the little Card Guard go, and then turned back towards the hallway…

""""""""""""""""""""

The Doctor and Alice continued running, with no real end in sight. The passages twisted and turned like the hedge labyrinth, and it didn't take long for the two of them to get lost.

"Alright, does anyone know where we're going?" asked Alice as they stopped to catch their breath in a small stone garden with multiple exits.

"Unfortunately, no." said the Doctor in response, before he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the various entrances…and suddenly received an unfamiliar sound emanating from the strange device! Concern in his expression, the Doctor remarked: "However, I do know the way we _can't_ go…"

Alice looked the same direction as the caped Doctor…and down the hallway he was looking, she heard the telltale hollers of Card Guards.

The Doctor quickly ran towards one of the other doorways, with Alice following behind – but stopping to spray the enemy-infested hallway with shots from her pepper grinder first, so to give pause to the Guards while she made her escape. Sure enough, the Guards stunned by the pepper were either tripping their allies, or getting trampled underfoot

The remaining Card Guard forces entered the garden…and quickly realized that they had stampeded over the ones who knew which exit their quarries had taken.

""""""""""""""""""""""""

The Ace of Hearts, meanwhile, had found his way to a secret corridor constructed by the Knave of Hearts. Obeying his command, he pressed his hands to the locked doors…

…and immediately after his body was absorbed, the doors opened…but since no one was there to observe the act, the room was empty the instant it became open.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"_If all you do is run from your enemies, you'll soon run out of places to run! Take the path of least resistance."_

As the Cheshire Cat faded away again, Alice (who was hiding behind a column with the Doctor) turned towards her companion and stated: "He's right, you know. Very soon we'll have no choice but to fight."

"I understand, Alice. I _also_ understand that he said 'least resistance.' You need to save your strength for removing the Weeping Angel from Wonderland, that's why I'm avoiding combat situations as much as possible."

Alice nodded, albeit with a slight air of disdain…which was then placed with a puzzled look as her mind wandered. "You know," she said to the Doctor, "I'm the one who's doing all the fighting! Why are the Cards even bothering with going after you at all? Why not focus all their attention on the main threat?"

"Because," he answered, "the Weeping Angel knows me. For it, I _am_ the immediate threat,_ you're _just a feistier-than-usual victim."

"You?" Alice said in disbelief; "How could it be more scared of you than me?"

The Doctor sighed in exasperation: "I guess now would be 'secret-telling' time. Well, for starters-"

The Doctor never got to finish the sentence, as the wall behind them suddenly exploded outwards in a shower of blood and stone. As the two rolled out of the way, they glanced at the new hole...and saw the Knave of Hearts, surrounded by around fifteen Card Guards of all different suits.

"You should surrender, Alice!" the Knave shouted as he flapped his 'wings', shaking the dust off of them; "The longer you struggle, the more painful the process becomes!"

"Assuming the process ever takes place!" Alice retorted defiantly.

"It _will_, Alice!" And with that, the Knave gestured towards Alice and her ally: "Card Guards! Get them both, but I want Alice _alive for_ the energy transfer; kill the Doctor!"

No sooner had the Knave finished the sentence than the Card Guards began climbing through the hole in the wall...when suddenly, Alice produced yet another weapon: a gigantic teapot! She clutched it like a cannon, and jerked the handle on the back, causing a massive  
>pocketwatch-shaped projectile to fly from the spout towards the massed Card Guards! It struck the ground in an explosion of green-colored boiling tea, scalding five of the Guards through their outfits!<p>

As they collapsed over the ruined wall, however, their allies scrambled over their steaming bodies and reached the other side. Thinking nothing of the obvious danger to themselves, they brandished their weapons and rushed the two heroes.

Just then, the Doctor exclaimed: "Run! Let's split up - one of us is _sure_to find the dungeons!"

"Change that a little:" replied Alice, who drew her Vorpal Blade; "You search for the dungeons, _I_ keep these busy!"

The Doctor paused a little, reluctant to leave Alice behind, but quickly agreed. As he rushed away, clutching his awkward hat, Alice turned towards the onrushing forces, to see a Club about to bring its mace down on her head…

…when suddenly, a flick of her Vorpal Blade sliced the weapon's handle clean through! As the Card Guard stared in shock, another movement plunged the knife right through him, killing him instantly!

Instead of giving her a break, she went right towards all the other Card Guards! She then found a Spade and a Diamond on both of her sides, each swinging their weapons at her; quickly, she jumped up in the air, and threw the Spade into the Diamond, impaling the Spade on the Diamond's spear! One swing of her Blade later, and the Diamond was dispatched as well.

Just then, she was suddenly swept up into the air as a Heart threw her legs out with the butt of its poleaxe, and then prepared to chop at her as she lay on the ground…but the heart-shaped blade bounced harmlessly off of an open, white umbrella, which had suddenly appeared in her hands! Knocked aside, the poleaxe almost leapt out of the Heart's hand; as it was, however, it was far enough away that Alice was able to get back up, _and_ slice clean through the guard's spine, before the Heart could recover and strike again.

Then, with a twirl, she hurled herself at the remaining six Guards….

…..

In a matter of minutes, the fight was over, and all the Card Guards were dead. With a triumphant smirk, she turned back towards the Knave, Vorpal Blade in her right hand and umbrella in her left. "You're making this too hard for yourself, Knave! Why do you even need to keep me alive in the first place? Your master, the Angel, wants me dead after all!"

"You have to die in a certain _way_, Alice – your eyes are closed in the real world, but if the Angel absorbs your mental energy, it can _force_ them open! To do that, you need to die from something with the essence of an Angel!"

"And you have some? Is that why you were getting ready to slice me up back in the entryway?"

"Hardly – I was merely going to knock you out, then take your defenseless form to that which did! The blades were for the Doctor!"

Alice looked at the monstrous Knave in confusion: "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough…meantime, I just have to keep you busy defending yourself from my Card Guards, so you'll have no way to escape!"

Suddenly, as he finished his sentence, the Knave threw his wing-tentacles forward! Alice managed to dodge them…only to find they weren't aiming for her, but the opposite wall, which was quickly ripped apart by the Knave's slimy appendages!

One shout of "ATTACK HER! NOW!" later, and even more Card Guards than before poured out of the new opening, straight towards Alice…

""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Meanwhile, the Doctor was busy running through the myriad hallways, jumping over ruined architecture and bones, and getting nowhere nearer the dungeons.

Sensing his thoughts, the Cheshire Cat appeared on his shoulder (albeit absolutely weightless) to say: _"How far do you intend to run before giving up, Doctor?"_

"As far as it takes, Cat. For Alice's sake."

"_Are you even sure that what you're doing is best for Alice? Before you met her, Doctor, she was quite alone, with no one to look out for her but herself…and especially no one to 'watch her back'."_

As the Cat emphasized that particular phrase, the Doctor instantly stopped and turned around…what he saw prompted him to say: "No…"

He realized he had just passed three Weeping Angels, which were running in the opposite direction the Doctor was running.

"Alice…"

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

**BASH!**

With a mighty swing from her hobby horse, Alice sent a Card Guard flying straight into a group of his companions, causing them to all sprawl onto the ground. She quickly ran over their prone bodies towards the next group…but not before dropping a top hat onto them, which quickly revealed itself to be a ticking rabbit-shaped clock. And before any of the Guards could pick themselves up, the clock then exploded, stunning them.

A few strikes from her Vorpal Blade later, they were dispatched, but more footfalls denoted the arrival of replacements. Quickly, Alice pulled out her pepper grinder and began blasting all the Guards coming through the wall…

…when she was suddenly thrown into the breach by a massive force from behind! It didn't take long for her to deduce that it was the Knave's fault, and even shorter for her to figure out that around a dozen Card Guards were about to bring their weapons down on her.

"_ALICE!"_

The Doctor's voice coming from down the hall caught the attention of the Cards, allowing Alice the opportunity to use her hobby horse to knock some Guards aside, and leap back into the hallway. She blasted the Knave with her teapot-cannon, causing an ear-offending scream, and then she ran off to intercept the Doctor, whom she noticed was running backwards. She began running alongside him, and asked what he found.

"Weeping Angels, headed this way!" he panted, as he pointed towards the massive gathering of Card Guards.

Alice at first didn't believe him. However, when she looked back, the crowd of Cards had parted, and all had their eyes shut...and at the far end of the hall, there were three small gray figures.

As she looked, the Doctor suddenly exclaimed: "Alice, you're going to have to steer for me! Tell me which ways to turn! I'll keep the Angels in my sight!"

Alice nodded, and then turned back towards the path ahead.

…..

…..

"OOF!" exclaimed the Doctor as he ran back-first into the wall.

"Sorry! I didn't know there'd be a dead end here!"

Suddenly, Alice saw three stony arms reaching out beyond the corner, fifteen meters away from the wall they were trapped up against.

She blinked. All three Angels suddenly came into view, blocking any potential exit.

"Doctor! What do we do?"

The Doctor grabbed his fezton, and pulled it down tightly over his head as he said: "I'm thinking, Alice, I'm thinking..."

Suddenly, as he was looking at his feet, he noticed something about the floor: the stone was mixed with slimy muscle fibers! The idea-factories in his brain quickly began turning...

"DOCTOR! HURRY UP!" shouted Alice, as a blink from her brought the Angels five meters closer to them.

Ten seconds later, the Doctor (who had joined her in looking at the Angels) asked: "I think I have an idea. I just need you to trust me."

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"You'll stop me if you know. Do you trust me, Alice?"

Alice paused...and then said: "I haven't trusted anybody since Dr. Bumby...but right now, I _think_ I trust you."

"...Alright." said the Doctor: "Give me your Vorpal Blade."

Alice handed it over...and the Doctor quickly jammed it into the fleshy part of the ground, causing a small spurt of blood to gush up from the floor!

"What good will that do?" Alice asked.

In response, the Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver, and pressed its green-colored glass tip to the embedded blade.

"This."

* * *

><p>What is the Doctor's plan? Find out next time!<p>

And thank you for being patient with me all this time! Updates are a little slow-coming (high school stuff and all) but for those who absolutely love this tale, its well worth it!


	7. The Jaws that Bite

Disclaimer: I do not own American Mcgee's Alice or Doctor Who.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: The Jaws that Bite<p>

* * *

><p>"This."<p>

As the Doctor's sonic screwdriver let out its signature sound, another sound instantly joined it: the sound of an unknown creature's pained howls.

Then, a rumble in the ground caused Alice to stumble. Fortunately, the Doctor had already braced himself, and was keeping watch on the Angels...

...as the ground beneath them suddenly gave way, sending Alice and the Doctor tumbling through a bloody, slimy pit.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The door to Rutledge's Asylum closed, leaving no cold air to discomfort the new arrival to the building: a large, rain-soaked man in a large raincoat (a rather smelly Mackintosh, the receptionist quickly noted). The stranger folded his umbrella, and removed his bulky rainwear from his person...upon which the receptionist was able to recognize him: Wilton Radcliffe. Without needing to be told, one of the attendants went to fetch Dr. Wilson.

Dr. Wilson arrived presently, and asked him: "Pleasant day, Mr. Radcliffe?"

"Well, Dr. Wilson, it was definitely a fortunate day; the train to London was due to leave forty-five minutes, to the second, after I received your telegram!"

"Fortunate indeed! You did bring the rabbit though, correct?"

"Indeed," Radcliffe responded, as he pulled the seemingly-insignificant stuffed toy out of the folds of his raincoat.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"OOOF!"

With some effort, the two pulled themselves out of the slimy mass of flesh that had arrested their fall, and flicked the messy goo off of their persons as they walked to a more dry area.

After shaking out her hair, Alice asked: "What happened up there?"

As Alice picked up (and stored) her Vorpal Blade, the Doctor answered: "I resonated the sonic screwdriver with the Vorpal Blade, and used the resulting vibrations to trigger a spasm in the muscle tissue on the floor, which in turn pulled on all the rocks around it, and loosened the ceiling of the level underneath us…" the Doctor paused at this point to look upwards, and saw they had fallen a tremendous distance: "…apparently with a ceiling 70 meters above the ground."

"That's Wonderland for you, Doctor." said Alice. "Now, shall we find the dungeons?" she then asked, receiving a nod from the Doctor.

…..

After a minute of walking through the dark, organic corridor, the Doctor suddenly asked: "Dr. Bumby?"

Alice paused. "What about him?"

"You said you haven't trusted anyone since him. What did he do?"

Alice stood there, painful memories returning to her mind…

"_The past must be paid for…"_

"_Your sister was a tease, pretended to despise me. She got what she wanted, in the end…"_

"_Psychotic, silly bitch, your madness will be punished…"_

"Alice," the Doctor said, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Doctor…it's just…" Then, she sighed, and began: "Dr. Bumby was the psychiatrist and hypnotherapist who took me into his orphanage after I was released from Rutledge. He wanted me to forget my painful past, saying it would get in the way of my behaving normally…but that was a front for his real purpose: to turn me into a brainless prostitute, with him as my pimp."

As the Doctor quickly became shocked, Alice continued: "And that's not even the half of it – he did that to every child in his care, regardless of age."

The Doctor's shock grew.

"And Bumby had an additional interest in taking away my memories: He didn't want me remembering that _he_ was the one who burned down my house; killing everyone in my family…an act he did to cover up his crime of breaking in, and raping my sister, Elizabeth."

"…My God, he's….such an evil creature! Where is he now?"

"Dead. Because I killed him."

The Doctor gasped…and Alice, as if she were testing the limits to which she could surprise him, continued: "I pushed him in front of an underground train…and turned myself in to the police shortly afterwards. I was only spared an execution because of the surprise testimony of one of his other victims. So, I began living on the street, which was where you came in: after the Angel attacked."

"Oh, Alice…" the Doctor looked at her, trying to comprehend all the misery that this simple human girl went through. Then, he asked: "What about his plan? What happened to your mind?"

"I fought against his mental conditioning. I went to Wonderland, recovered my memories, and destroyed the incarnation of his evil influence: The Dollmaker, whom I believe I have already mentioned to you."

"_But victory came at the cost of her willingness to open up to people, out of fear they were all perverts and rapists, just like Dr. Bumby;"_ the Cheshire Cat added; _" fear which, more often than not, turned out to be justified. She has declined many a helpful hand because of an innocent flirtation."_

As the Cat faded away, the Doctor finally comprehended the scale of her troubles: she's been going through a good portion of her life with major problems, and all the while afraid to ask for help. "…Oh...Alice, you've been through so much. No wonder you never trusted people!"

"Indeed, Doctor. You're the first person, since my family died, to show me any genuine kindness."

He nodded…and then asked her: "Alice, when I said that the Weeping Angel would have brought about the destruction of humanity, did you ever think, for even a _second_, about just… letting it happen? Let humanity pay for what they did to you and your family?"

"No, Doctor!" Alice exclaimed apprehensively, "Why would you even _think_ I would?"

"Sorry, Alice… I once met a human lady named Mercy Hartigan, who was willing to help the Cybermen conquer the planet, because she was sexually abused by a man. She was fed up with humanity, and so tried to sell you lot out to the first invading army. Rape is a deadly serious thing"

Alice's brief apprehensiveness vanished, as she realized what the Doctor meant. "I see. Well, I'm no Mercy Hartigan. I still believe humanity is worth saving – Dr. Bumby was more like the exception that proves the rule."

"Glad to hear it, Alice. Because I'm the Doctor, and through all my 1100 years of life, humanity has never been 'not worth saving.' So, let's go save you, save Wonderland, _and_ save the entire human race."

The two of them clasped their hands together, symbolizing the strength of their partnership. "To the dungeons, then," said Alice.

"**How sentimental."**

Suddenly, the organic hallway echoed with a massive, deep voice. Alice drew her Vorpal Blade, and the Doctor his sonic screwdriver…which he used to locate the source of the sound waves, and then dashed off in the direction he was given, Alice not far behind.

"**That's right, come closer; ignore your fear, ignore every fiber of your being screaming out what a horrible idea this is!"**

"The thought never crossed my mind!" the Doctor shouted back, as he rounded a corner…and stopped suddenly.

When Alice looked over the Doctor's caped shoulder, she instantly saw why he had.

Immediately before the Doctor's feet was a doorway to a massive cavern, with the floor a massive distance below the entrance. Lining the cavern wall were inwardly-protruding bony spines, with blood dripping down each one as it bored through the fleshy wall. In the ceiling was a massive hole, which thick clouds of steam and smoke flew up towards in the manner of a fireplace's chimney. And a quick glance down to the lower area of the massive cavern revealed the source of the clouds:

"Jabberwock. I thought I killed you."

"**As long as guilt survives, Alice, I do. I may be hidden away, forgotten amid the dangers of the present times, but I am still here."** bellowed the massive half-mechanical dragon, as it struggled against the massive metallic chains binding its arms, legs, and gear-heavy wings to the walls of its prison.

"Well, not much you can do to harm us, is there, Jabberwock?" Alice asked the creature, twirling her Vorpal Blade confidently.

"**I don't need to. You won't be here for very much longer; once the Angel is through with you there shall be nothing left. And then humanity shall follow. Everyone shall die because of _your_ incompetence."**

"Now hold on a second, mister 'Jabberwock,'" the Doctor exclaimed: "From what I've seen of her, Alice is anything _but_ incompetent."

"**She couldn't save her family from the fire. She couldn't see the truth about Dr. Bumby in time to save those poor children. That is incompetence at its most dangerous form: the kind which allows innocent people to suffer."**

The Doctor simply looked at the chained monster...and then to Alice, so he could ask: "Alice, this entire world is a symbolic representation of your mind...if the Cheshire Cat is your subconscious, and the Weeping Angels we saw on the way are representations of what the Angel's done to your mind, what does the Jabberwock represent?"

"...My guilt. Everything I have ever regretted, everything I failed to succeed at, that is the Jabberwock."

"**And you have a lot of things to be guilty _of_, Alice."**

"Oh, shut up!" shouted the Doctor, who then began walking away, telling Alice: "We're not going to get any help from him, at any rate. Let's move on then." And as he moved away from the gateway to the Jabberwock's holding cell, Alice began to follow...

"**...And there you go, off blindly following the Doctor. I'm surprised you trust him at all, Alice, given what happened with our _former_ doctor..."**

…..

The Jabberwock's words suddenly gave pause to his target, as Alice felt the need to say: "He's nothing like Dr. Bumby!"

"**He's EVERYTHING like Dr. Bumby! Like Dr. Bumby, he kills without remorse. Like Dr. Bumby, he manipulates innocent people! And, like Dr. Bumby, he shall leave you cold and alone when you are of no further use to him!"**

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked, surprise slowly growing.

"**He never told you what he _did_ to Mercy Hartigan, and her Cybermen? I'll tell you what he did: he overloaded Hartigan's mind, showing her the frightening truth of her actions, and making her die in screaming agony! And to insult her memory, he erased her from time itself! Her attack should have been common knowledge, but nobody remembers it, because it never happened! Miss Hartigan was never even born!"**

"I never did that!" shouted the Doctor, defensively; "The time cracks erased Miss Hartigan and the Cyber-King, not me!"

"**Ah, but you threw her into the Time Vortex, did you not? You might as _well _have known that time and space were falling apart!"**

The Jabberwock didn't even give them a chance for a break: **"And she's not the only one who has fallen victim to the Doctor's cruelty: The Daleks, the Zygons, the Vervoids, the Carrionites, the Nestenes, All have been denied survival because the Doctor said so! No one is safe, not even his own fellow Time Lords!"**

" I had to do it! They would have-" the Doctor shouted in desperation.

"**Did you think for a second that mattered? Motive is hardly ever brought up in a trial for a mass murderer! All that matters to the jury is the _facts_. And the fact is that you, Doctor, are the destroyer of worlds. Never to be trusted. Never to _ever_ be given a kind word. You deserve none."**

The Doctor looked at the Jabberwock...and then at Alice, who had a face of confused disbelief...

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

In a darkened room in Rutledge Asylum, Alice's eyelids shot open.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

A violent rumbling shook all of Wonderland, knocking Alice and the Doctor off their feet. The Jabberwock bellowed out a frightening laugh, and followed it with: **"Another reason not to trust the Doctor: he just handed the Weeping Angel its victory."**

Before Alice could ask why, the ground rumbled again, catapulting them straight into the creature's massive prison. They landed on the distant floor, and got up again, running out of the Jabberwock's range...

...and seeing what looked like a window in the faraway edges! They took a glance through it, and gasped at what they saw:

The lush forestry of the Vale of Tears turning to stone, and then crumbling to dust, which was blown away immediately afterward.

Alice drew back from the looking-glass, shocked: "That's...exactly like my hallucination from London! What has happened?"

The Doctor, instead of answering, said: "The better question is _how_...and I think I have an idea on how." Then, the Doctor turned around, and asked: "Isn't that right, _Dream Lord?_"

Alice turned with the Doctor, and found that before the two of them, stood a large-headed man with a bald spot, and a very poor gray angel costume.

"Well done, Doctor." the man said in a sarcastic manner; "If only you'd known it sooner, though; you might have avoided breaking Alice's heart, and with it, all your chances of victory."

Alice looked at the figure...and asked who he was. Immediately, afterwards, the Cheshire Cat appeared to give the answer: _"The Dream Lord is to the Doctor what the Jabberwock is to you. The Guilt of 1103 years of living, and fighting, he is everything the Doctor hates about himself"_

"The question is," the Doctor cut in, "how you are in _Alice's_ mind now, and how _exactly_ you did what you did."

"Oh, that can be easily answered, Doctor: The Angel hijacked your shoddy telepathic link with poor Alice (not used to melding with unstable minds, are you?), and recruited me, pulling me into Alice's mind."

"And me, and my memories, along with you." the Doctor noted in realization.

"The memories were intentional – for Alice's subconscious. After all, it would be a little harder for the Jabberwock to combine with me, and reveal everything dark about the Doctor to Alice, if Jabby didn't know what you _were_!" The Dream Lord laughed, and then continued: "You actually coming to Wonderland _yourself_ wasn't planned, but it sure didn't _hurt_ the Angel's objectives!"

"Wait..." Alice spoke up: "You...combined with the Jabberwock?"

"Yes, of course, like you combine sugar and tea. Only _this_ combination makes it harder to swallow..."

And before Alice could ask what the Dream Lord meant, the Doctor elaborated: "1100 years of things I'm not proud of...the length of time enough is impossible for a normal human to bear. And even a small _taste_ of the guilt I have acquired..."

"It's the stuff of nightmares." smirked the Dream Lord. "The kind people scream themselves _awake_ from."

"But I'm not awake!"

"That, Alice, is because the Angel _wants_ you in Wonderland; all the better to feed off that delicous neural energy." Then, the Dream Lord sauntered up to Alice, said: "Still, your _eyes_ are very much open, at any rate. Here, let me show you what you _would_ be seeing if you weren't stuck in this dream." and then poked her head.

Instantly, she saw the face of the Doctor, eyes closed in concentration, kneeling over her...and behind him, were the familiar padded walls of Rutledge's.

The vision faded away as quickly as it appeared, leaving her with the Dream Lord rather than the Doctor in her face. He then walked away, and said: "That's what you're seeing right now, Alice – and it's exactly like the Angel wants it. Now that it can grow again – ooh, seems like I'm not needed anymore. Farewell, Doctor; the Angel sends it's thanks!"

And with that, the flimsy cloth-and-wire wings of the Dream Lord's angel costume flapped, and he rose up into the air...and before he had gone far, faded away completely.

The two were then cued to turn around by the Jabberwock's echoing voice: **"What an idiot; he left before he could tell you the most satisfying detail of all your failures!"**

"And what would that be?" asked the Doctor, unafraid.

"**The Angel knows all about the _mirrors_, from your memories... and it seems that you, Doctor, are so conveniently positioned that they are obscured from view! Now the Angel knows it can't kill you right away – it needs you to shield its eyes! You'll be weakened from the destruction of Wonderland, and thus unable to stop it. Now do you see, Doctor? Everything you have done has not been to _hurt_ the Angel, but to _help_ it!"**

Instantly, all of the Doctor's bravery faded, replaced with depression.

The Jabberwock laughed again, and all of Wonderland shook again. This time, however, cracks appeared in the walls of the Jabberwock's prison, and from them a state of petrification began to creep.

And then, another crack caused the floor to jerk downwards! Alice and the Doctor slid down the now-slanted floor, straight towards a bloody bone-spike...

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"This is the 'black zone,' Radcliffe. This is where she is. You will remember to keep as silent as possible?"

"Of course, Dr. Wilson. But what about her mysterious 'Doctor'? The one you just told me about?"

"He's in here as well, putting her through some form of sleep therapy...at least, that's what I think."

"And you're sure that she's alright?"

"Radcliffe," said Dr. Wilson as he placed his key in the door, "when I last checked on her, she and her Doctor were as peaceful as lambs." And with that, he opened the door...

...and saw Alice's eyes open, and heard her breathing come at the rate of a frightened person! The Doctor himself was cringing with effort...or was it frustration?

"Oh, my God...Alice!" Dr. Wilson exclaimed as he dropped down right next to her. "Doctor, what's happening?" he asked, but received no answer.

Radcliffe looked on, meanwhile, with equally as much surprise. Then, he quickly handed the toy rabbit to Dr. Wilson, and said: "If you're right about this... I hope we're not too late to make a difference!"

Dr. Wilson gave Radcliffe a thankful look...and then, while uttering a silent prayer, placed the rabbit in Alice's lap, and moved her hands so she was holding it.

Radcliffe and Dr. Wilson then stood back, hands clutched to their chests in hope...

….

...and then Alice clutched the rabbit tighter to her chest. Almost instantly afterward, her breathing slowed down to a much more reasonable rate.

As Dr. Wilson and Radcliffe thanked God with all their hearts, Alice suddenly uttered a single word in a weak voice:

".._.Ten.._."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

_TEN_

That was the word that boomed everywhere in Wonderland, especially in the area where Alice and the Doctor were in danger.

They didn't pay much attention to it, though – they were busy scrambling up the slope, desperately trying to avoid being impaled...

...when suddenly, in front of them, a thin golden chain landed, and a voice shouted: "GRAB ON!"

This they did, and the chain then pulled the two of them up to a nearby rock-platform, where they sat down and caught their breath.

Alice, after a few breaths, looked around...and quickly saw her savior: "White Rabbit!"

"Hurry up, Alice!" the White Rabbit exclaimed as he pointed at his pocket-watch: "The Angel has already started the countdown! We're going to be late!"

* * *

><p>The stakes have increased! Can Alice and the Doctor defeat the Angel in time?<p>

Can Alice and the Doctor even work together, now that there's no danger to distract from the fact that the Doctor is a murderer?

Find out next chapter!


	8. The Assault of the Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or American McGee's Alice.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: The Assault of the Angel.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hurry up, Alice!" the White Rabbit exclaimed as he pointed at his pocket-watch: "The Angel has already started the countdown! We're going to be late!"<p>

Alice nodded, and asked: "Which way? And how did you get out of the dungeons?"

"They fell apart just as the Weeping Angel began moving!" explained the White Rabbit, who then pointed towards a nearby hole in the wall: "That way's out; we mustn't dawdle!"

Alice and the Doctor didn't need to be told twice: they quickly ran towards the Rabbit's tunnel, and the Rabbit followed immediately after them.

...

...

The canyon outside looked less like Wonderland, and more like Hell, than what it was before.

Pieces of scenery were ripped from their foundations by horrid winds, turned into gray, lifeless stone, and then borne away through the empty atmosphere above and below Queensland. Innocent insects and creatures were flying all around, desperately trying to avoid the flying rocks; those that failed were smashed out of existence by the high-speed projectiles. Those that couldn't fly simply fell down through the endless void, until sudden gusts of wind carried them along the course of the stones.

And all the while, Alice and her friends looked on in horror.

"It's happening again..." said Alice in remembrance; "And I can't go to the real world to close my eyes. That means I must defeat the Angel now. Rabbit, do you know where it is?"

The Rabbit nodded, and then pointed in a direction through the maelstrom of air. The thoughts in Alice's head churned, thinking of a way through...and deciding that she could jump along the flying stones...

Suddenly, the Cheshire Cat appeared to say: _"We all know you're willing to fight, and as ready as you'll ever be…but what of the Doctor, hmm?"_ And this time, the Cat stayed around to watch, as Alice turned towards the Doctor, struggling to find words to say…

…and the Doctor deprived her of the need: "Go on without me, Alice."

"…But why?"

"The reason the Weeping Angels were ignoring me was because they needed me. They needed my guilt to jumpstart the growth process of the primary Angel-image – who's to say they don't have any more plans for me?"

"And besides," the Doctor continued: "You're quite sensitive about men who torture, abuse, and kill…and according to your subconscious mind that is what I am. By all rights, you should never trust me again."

Alice paused for a second…then shook her head in confusion: "But…you rescued me from the Angel in London! You offered me help…advice! You helped me get to Wonderland…"

"_So did Dr. Bumby, in a way."_ Cheshire commented; _"He offered 'help'…but it was help which eventually turned out to have a hidden motivation, and, in truth, did more harm than good."_

"And," the Doctor continued, "thanks to the Angel's tricks, that comparison is complete. Everything I have done, the Angel has taken and turned against us."

"…But…Doctor, the Angel tricked you! That wasn't your-"

"_Alice, often the more you try to tell yourself something isn't true, the truer it becomes. Face the facts: at the subconscious level, you regard the Doctor as an enemy. Of course, that's what the Angel wants…but if he makes another mistake, you'll play right into its hands before you know what you're doing. Better safe than sorry; and better sorry than Dead."_

Alice looked from the Cheshire Cat (who had just began fading away) to the Doctor…and clutched her face, and sobbed: "What should I do?"

"Fight the Angel;" said the Doctor, "you have the White Rabbit after all. I can stay alive on my own."

Suddenly, the sky turned from dark blue to dark red, as a word in Alice's voice echoed through all of Wonderland:

_NINE_

"Hurry, Alice! There's no time to waste!" shouted the Rabbit in desperation. "When the countdown reaches zero, any hope is forever lost!"

The Doctor nodded, and then put his hand on Alice's shoulder: "I promise you, I'll try to make it up to you somehow, if we win this."

Alice looked the Doctor in the eye…and nodded back. "Very well."

And with that, the two allies turned away from each other; the White Rabbit bounded off along a cliffside-path, and Alice followed.

The Doctor, meanwhile, went the opposite way, and said to himself: "Okay, just stay alive, so there's no telepathic feedback to impede Alice…"

"Much easier said than done, Doctor!"

The Doctor turned towards the empty air just beyond the path's edge…and saw the Knave of Hearts, flapping his tentacle-wings, and flying straight towards him! "Now, your final betrayal towards Alice is complete;" gloated the Knave, "you left yourself defenseless against my wrath! _Now, Madness shall reign, with the Angel as its King_!"

And with that, the Knave opened his toothed mouth wide…and twelve long tentacles slithered out, each dripping an iridescent green slime. Before the Doctor could even try to run, he shouted: "FOR THE ANGEL!" and drew the evil appendages back for the strike…

**SMAAAAAASH!**

With a loud whistle, the Looking-Glass engine (rolling through the air like the Infernal Train of a few years ago) smashed into the Knave, and sent him tumbling through the air.

The Doctor let out a triumphant laugh as the Engine ground to a halt: "Ha Ha! Go Mock-Turtle!"

He waved to the engineer, and a familiar flipper waved back as it shouted: "Looks like _this_ bowl of soup isn't due to be served for a long time!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" The Doctor applauded the normally-insecure creature's heroism…

…when suddenly, the ground he was standing on crumbled! Losing his balance, he began tumbling down…only to be caught by the Elder Gryphon!

"Oof! That was a close one, Doctor! Let's get you on board!

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"Dr. Wilson!" the nurse shouted, concerned; "It's Alice! She's hyperventilating again!"

Before long, Dr. Wilson was back in the 'black zone', while Radcliffe was left in the doctor's office, equally as worried. When the psychiatrist entered, what he saw made his own heartbeat increase: Alice was back to her dangerous level of breathing, despite the brief respite given to her by her rabbit! The Doctor, leaning over her, still seemed as frustrated as the last time he checked, and perhaps even more so!

Dr. Wilson clutched his hair, desperately trying to figure out a way to help her…and after a minute of this, shouted: "NURSE! Fetch the Chloroform!" a command which was quickly obeyed; as soon as the nurse arrived, she poured the chemical onto a wad of gauze, and gently pressed it over Alice's mouth…

...and recoiled in shock when, ten seconds later, Alice was still awake and breathing heavily! The Chloroform had no effect!

"My God…this can't be happening! This isn't natural!" Dr. Wilson exclaimed in denial, as Alice spoke another word:

"…_Eight_…"

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_EIGHT_

As another rumble shook all of Wonderland, the White Rabbit paused in his hopping across the floating platforms. Alice stopped where he did, and asked what was wrong; the Rabbit answered: "We're here."

Quickly, Alice realized what he meant: the gray stones that were flying through the air were all flying in a visible pattern, all towards one particular event: Before them was a massive cloud of dust and debris, swirling around...whatever was in the center, which Alice quickly guessed: "That's the Angel in there."

The Rabbit nodded, and said: "The time is now, Alice. It's now or never for you, for Wonderland, and for all of the human race."

Alice looked at the swirling mass of rock...then at the Rabbit, so she could say: "Thank you for your help. I won't let anyone down."

"Good Luck." And with that, the White Rabbit bounded away to a hiding place. Alice turned back towards the cloud, took a deep breath...

"_Be careful, Alice; the creature within desires nothing more than your total annihilation, and has cunning to match its hate. A dangerous combination."_

"I am aware, Cat...A shame about the Doctor, he would probably have been able to outwit the Angel on a good day." Alice sighed; "Unfortunately, that's why the Angel drove a wedge between us."

"_I know you still want to trust him, Alice...but the truth is, all the Jabberwock and Dream Lord told you was What he did, and How he did it. Without the Why, you cannot be certain just what sort of man the Doctor is. You have very special needs, little girl...one of them, being the need to defeat the Weeping Angel as soon as possible."_

Alice thought...and then drew her Vorpal Blade, and leaped straight into the storm of stone, as the Cheshire Cat faded away behind her.

She flew straight through the spinning barrier, biting down against the barrage of boulders pummeling her every side...and as soon as she collided with something bigger than the stones she was seeing, she jammed her weapon into it.

Instantly, the mass jerked, throwing her off. She tumbled down a considerable distance, grabbing onto whatever nearby things she could to break her fall, before finally landing on a large landmass.

With a pained effort, she picked herself up...and quickly noticed she heard no more stones zipping past her! She opened her eyes, and saw that she was on a gigantic platform of gray stone, with similarly-colored stones swirling in the sky around it. And also on the platform was...

A Weeping Angel.

As big as the castle of Queensland.

Moving.

Towards her.

Bringing its hand down on her.

Snarling.

_SEVEN_

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_EIGHT_

A sudden explosion of smoke from the Looking-Glass engine's firebox blasted the Turtle, Gryphons, and Doctor in their faces, causing them all to cough and gag. Desperately, they waved their individual limbs, and tried to fan the smoke out, meeting with little success…

…until a gust of wind from just outside the cab blew all of the smoke away! Immediately afterwards, an old, wizened voice spoke: "_What a catastrophe. Fortunate I came when I did. Were my old wings sufficient?_"

"Indeed they were! Thank you very much, Caterpillar!" exclaimed the Mock Turtle, who then turned towards the firebox.

"_You're welcome…although 'Caterpillar' really is a somewhat inappropriate title now._"

The Doctor, meanwhile, turned towards the voice…and saw, clinging to the cab, a massive green butterfly with an Asian-style beard, decorated wings, and…

"Love the fez." commented the Doctor, approvingly. "Fezzes are cool."

"_Yes,_" the 'Caterpillar' remarked, adjusting its fez with one of its insect legs;"_but fezzes aren't the only thing to be appreciated in the world: there are so much more, such as Honesty, Wisdom, and __Trust__._"

"Yes…" the Doctor sighed, "Unfortunately, Alice cannot trust me anymore."

"_Only because she __knows__ the Jabberwock and the Dream Lord gave her incomplete information; all she knows is What you did, and How you did it, without also knowing the Why. And without that, she cannot trust you._"

The Doctor nodded, walking towards Caterpillar… who continued: "_And when you think about it, that is the cruelest thing the Angel has done to her; deprive her of someone to trust. Ever since the fire, Alice hasn't been __truly__ able to trust anyone. You came so close to breaking through her shell, and letting her open up to the kind aspects of her harsh world…but you fell just short of what was required. Now she is alone once again, without the one thing she needs to rescue herself…not from the Angel, but from a greater threat: Isolation and loneliness._"

As the Doctor took in what the butterfly-Caterpillar was saying, the massive insect leaned in towards him; "_She needs someone whom she can trust…and if not you, then who shall it be?_"

….

_SEVEN_

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

SMASH!

A stomp of the gigantic Weeping Angel's foot knocked Alice straight off her feet. She closed her eyes on impact...and was instantly kicked by the massive stone foot, sending her flying across the battlefield!

A sizable distance away, she finished, and skidded to a halt. With an effort, she pulled herself up, and looked at the Angel. As soon as her gaze fell on it, the Angel's speed decreased dramatically (slowing to a crawl about three meters away from her).

Alice panted, then said: "It's easy to forget this is my mind...you're not like the Weeping Angels out there, you don't stop moving when I look at you; you're the image that has been rampaging throughout all of Wonderland, and you need to be able to move."

Then, she pulled out her pepper grinder: "Of course, that means you aren't technically stone...and can still be hurt." she said, just before she fired. Bursts of glowing red peppercorns blasted up, and struck the Angel's hand. The Angel drew back its hand in pain...

...and then stopped, as floating rocks ripped from Wonderland itself directed their flight paths towards the Angel's hand! As soon as the fragments of Alice's ruined mind struck the giant monster, they sank into the stone that represented flesh, and all the cracks Alice's attack caused... disappeared!

…..

_SIX_

Instead of checking the Angel's face to see if the creature was grinning in triumph, Alice instead rushed directly under it's robe, until she got to the gigantic heels. Then, before the Angel could react, she attacked them with two mighty swings of her hobby-horse, and ran away.

As she ran, she looked back...and saw the Angel toppling over on its face, calling massive stones from the surroundings to heal its injured heels. Quickly, Alice paused, and blasted the heels with her teapot cannon. The Angel recoiled in pain, to Alice's joy...

And then she blinked.

Suddenly, the Angel had turned towards her, and was starting to climb back up onto its fully-healed feet!

"Alright, looks like I'll have to try again!" Alice exclaimed, drawing her pepper grinder again, aiming straight for the Angel's open mouth...when the Angel flapped its gigantic wings, causing a gust of wind to knock Alice off her feet! Once again, despite all her best efforts, the pain made her close her eyes again.

Instantly, she found the Angel's gray hand directly above her. And before she could do anything, she found herself scooped up, and raised into the air. Before long the Angel, finally standing upright again, allowed Alice to look at its face one last time (despite her desperate struggling), and then began to squeeze. Slowly, Alice felt every part of her body be compressed, as blue wisps of light flowed into the giant stone monster...

_FIVE_

**SMAAAAAASH!**

...when suddenly, the Looking-Glass engine smashed into the Angel's arm! The shockwave rippled throughout the arm, and Alice was instantly released, falling the incredible distance to the ground...when she was suddenly caught by the Younger Gryphon!

As the Angel was distracted by the flying train, the Younger Gryphon (with considerable effort) let Alice down on the stone platform.

"...Thank you."

"No, Alice;" said the Younger Gryphon as he panted; "thank the Doctor!"

The Younger Gryphon's words confused Alice...and her confusion grew even more when Elder Gryphon showed up, carrying the Doctor on his back! The grinning man in the orange cape and awkward hat jumped off the Gryphon, and called back a 'thank you.'

The Gryphons then left, and the Doctor walked up to Alice, saying:

"So, how's it holding?"

* * *

><p>Can the Doctor turn the tide against the Angel in what is now my longest fanfic ever?<p>

Tune in to find out!


	9. The Defeat of the Angel

Disclaimer: I don't own American Mcgee's Alice or Doctor Who.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: The Defeat of the Angel<p>

* * *

><p>"So, how's it holding?"<p>

Alice stared at the Doctor in shock; "What are you_ doing_ here? This place is too dangerous!"

"Yes yes, I know;" said the Doctor, as he waved his sonic screwdriver over her (and she felt many of the minor aches and pains throughout her body vanish), "Between your subconscious antagonism of me, and the Weeping Angel currently trying to destroy your mind, I'm somewhat caught between a rock and a hard place...Or rather, between a _living_ rock...that's not really rock at all... and a rather irritable young girl... OK, you know what, forget the rock! And the hard place!"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Doctor, you are so..."

"Childish? Idiotic? Good; I'm at my best when I'm childish and idiotic!" exclaimed the Doctor with his characteristic grin.

"...But why, Doctor? Why are you trying to help me now, when I have no assurance of your good intentions?"

"Well," the Doctor began: "For one thing, the Angel's starting to lose interest in swatting at the train."

As soon as the Doctor spoke those words, Alice looked at the Angel again...and sure enough, it was using its wings to blow the Looking-Glass engine away! And as soon as it was done, it turned back towards Alice, and started lunging towards her (in a rather slow manner)! Quickly, Alice drew her hobby-horse again...

…when the Doctor grabbed her hand, and put something in it; "A gift from the Caterpillar." he said as Alice saw what the gift was: It was a small chocolate cake, no bigger than Alice's hand, with the words 'EAT ME' written on the top in frosting.

Alice looked from the cake to the Doctor, who smiled at her, then to the Angel, still slowly rushing towards her, and then back to the cake…which, after a second of consideration, she started devouring. In three bites, she finished the whole cake…and as soon as her focus was off of eating, she noticed that everything around her seemed to be getting smaller, and every fiber of her body was changing, getting…fuller.

Eventually, the size change was complete, and Alice was the same size as the shocked Weeping Angel. _"GO GET 'IM, ALICE!" _she heard the Doctor call out to her from beside her feet.

"Very well." said Alice, immediately before she hurled her gigantic form at the Angel.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

All around Alice and the Doctor, concerned doctors and other staff gathered, and anxiously waited for her hyperventilating to stop...and everybody was devising different theories in their heads for her inconsistent counting down from ten…

…when suddenly, they noticed something else: she was starting to close her eyes! She was straining, as if something was _forcing_ her eyes open…yet it was still a reaction!

Then, they heard Alice's voice. She was about to say the number 'four' based on the pattern…when they realized, she was currently holding it in!

"…_ffff…ff…fff_…"

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Having been hurled from their previous battleground by the sheer momentum of Alice's attack, the two combatants tumbled through the endless void of Wonderland's atmosphere, with the Doctor desperately clinging to the hem of Alice's dress.

Eventually, all of them saw the silhouette of something ruined come into view: the scrap-laden remains of the Infernal Train, buried deep in the depths of Alice's mind, along with the rotted leftover meat from the Red Queen's old monstrous form.

Alice twirled herself in midair, hoping to slow her descent with her dress...but then, the Angel used its wings to propel itself directly into Alice, and used its arms to rip her dress! The wind rushed through the tatters, providing no resistance to her fall, thus doing nothing to dull the pain of landing directly on top of one of the Infernal coaches.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Alice's struggles ceased, and she finally said it:

"..._Four._..."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

_FOUR_

In tremendous pain, Alice rolled off the towering wreckage of the Infernal Train, and into the veritable ocean of dried, crumbling meat that once belonged to the Queen of Hearts. As she sat down, the dead flesh coming up to her waist, she groaned, and took a brief look around...

...when a loud crashing noise to her right alerted her to the arrival of the Angel! As quick as she could, she launched herself up – only to topple over as her legs, weakened by the fall, slipped out from underneath her. And before she could make another attempt, the Angel kicked her in the stomach, sending her sprawling into the layer of meat.

Suddenly buried whole under the fragments of her old foe, Alice found herself unable to look at the Angel...a fact that was soon taken advantage of, when the Angel reached down into the mess, and grasped her throat with its granite hands.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

At last, the Doctor had managed to climb up to the top of the overturned Infernal coach, and was able to observe the battle once again...and was shocked to find that the battle consisted of the gigantic Weeping Angel holding something below the rotten bodily fragments, obviously Alice, in a manner resembling strangulation. And from the pieces being kicked up beside it, the Doctor could tell that despite his slowing the Angel down by seeing it, Alice was not doing too well.

The Doctor clutched his hat in strained thought... and then shouted: "_HEY YOU! I KNOW YOU'VE GOT ALICE, BUT WHAT ABOUT ME?_"

The Angel, upon hearing the Doctor, turned towards him... and then, two arms shot out from below the meat-layer, grasped the Angel's form, and twisted it to the side! As the Angel rolled over into the dried-up chunks, Alice was pulled out of the meat-layer, and wound up on top of the Angel; and before the Angel could renew its assault on her neck, Alice used her legs and arms to pull herself out of the Angel's arms, and leap backwards.

"A fat lot of good you did, Doctor!" Alice exclaimed as she backed up, putting some distance between her and the Angel...and stopping once her back was to the Infernal Train-wreck, and the Doctor.

"_Yes,_" she heard the Doctor call out, "_but the cake was only half the plan!_"

"Well, what's the other half then?"

"_I also got a couple of bottles of 'Drink Me', whatever it is, from Caterpillar! Get me up to the Angel's face, and I can use it!_"

"...And how do I know you won't use it on _me_ instead?" Alice called back as she braced herself against the onrushing Angel.

The Doctor thought about what he could say...and then settled on: "_Look, just pick me up, OK? I'll explain on the way!_"

_THREE_

Alice finally looked back at the Doctor (who, upon noticing this, slowed the Angel down with his gaze), thought for a second... and then grabbed him, set him on her shoulder, and said: "Alright, if I can listen!"

Then, Alice held out her hand, and with some effort, produced her Vorpal Blade (scaled to her current proportions) in time to enter combat with the Angel.

And so the battle happened: the Angel swung at Alice with its arms and wings, with Alice blocking each with her Blade. The two combatants moved back and forth through the mess of body-parts, kicking up dust as the more rotten fragments were obliterated by their movement. Occasionally, Alice would attempt to attack the Angel, an action which either resulted in a few fragments of stone being torn from the Angel, or the strike being blocked.

And all the while, the Doctor spoke out:

"_Okay, so the Jabberwock told you what I did with Mercy Hartigan and the Cybermen? That I erased them from time itself? Well, perhaps first I should tell you exactly what the Cybermen are: Metallic men from another world, who seek to convert all humans into more Cybermen! Humanity would have been doomed had someone not acted against them!"_

"_Jabby made a passing mention of the Daleks – they're basically monsters that want to destroy all life in the universe that isn't like them! All too often I'm the only one who can stop their plans! And stopping them usually involves destroying them – but its either them, or all of creation!"_

"_My own people, the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey – their war with the Daleks drove them to desperation, to destroy all existence so they alone could survive! I couldn't let that happen! But if I stopped them, then the Daleks would have won, and gained the power to do pretty much the same thing! It fell to me to destroy both races, for the sake of the universe!"_

"_All of these, they were hard choices, but they had to be made – for the sake of the helpless, innocent peoples of all worlds! They tear me up inside because I had no other choice!"_

It took Alice a little while to grasp all of what the Doctor said, due to her struggling against the Angel…but the instant she did, something 'clicked' into place within her. She finally saw the Doctor's true self, and it reminded her of her own self; a thought she said out loud: "It…sounds like what I did to Bumby! Had I let him live, he would have turned even more innocent children into sex slaves; and he would have gotten away with it too!"

"_Exactly!_" exclaimed the Doctor, who instantly saw the comparison Alice was making; "_And doesn't the fact that you had to __kill__ him tear you up inside? Even just the littlest bit?_"

Alice thought – as hard as she could, while blocking the Angel's attacks at the same time – and eventually answered: "He had to be punished…but yes, I was a little guilty upon realizing I had turned murderer myself."

"_Yes…even justified murder feels bad to most humans. And I've been doing it for over a thousand years – that's a lot of things to be guilty about! But I'm still going…_"

At this point, the Angel tried to attack Alice with its wing…but Alice grabbed the stony-feathered limb just after dodging it, and twisted it down, sending the Angel rolling onto its side, and smashing into the wreckage of the Infernal Train!

"…_because I know that, at the end, it's the right thing to do_!" said the Doctor, as he saw the Angel try to get up, only for Alice to jam her Vorpal Blade into its hand, pinning it into the Train!

Then, Alice grabbed the Angel's other arm and held it down with all her might.

_TWO_

Through gritted teeth, she called out to the Doctor: "Rrrgh... well, now would be a good time to do the... right thing!"

The Doctor nodded (despite the fact that Alice couldn't see him), and then promptly began pulling himself out of her waist-bow...before he noticed that there was about a 10-meter drop between him and the Angel's stony form, which made him hesitate...

"..._Oh, right, Wonderland_."

With that, the Doctor leaped out of Alice's bow, sending him plummeting towards the Angel...and about halfway down, he gripped the sides of his orange cape, and flapped them as hard as he could! Just like before, what followed was a burst of air underneath his feet; his fall was arrested, and shortly began again...but halfway again, he flapped his cape, stopping his fall again! After repeating this again when he was one meter above the 'ground', he landed on the Angel with only a couple of bruises.

"_Come on, we've still got time!_" the Doctor exclaimed, as he started climbing up the Angel's surface.

It was no easy task, as the Angel was still struggling despite Alice restraining it. The constant tossing and turning of its torso caused the Doctor to be thrown about like a baby's doll, and it only got worse when the Angel caught on.

After what seemed like an eternity of traveling through the worst living terrain possible, the struggles finally stopped when Alice stomped on the Angel's foot. As the Angel screamed a silent scream, the Doctor reached the neck and began scaling the monstrous head.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Alice's breathing remained at a steady rhythm totally unsuitable for human lungs, leaving all wondering how she still lives at this point. Out of curiosity, Dr. Wilson had earlier touched her skin...and found its texture to be that of solid, grainy stone!

He leaped back in fright, shocked at the discovery of this blatant disregard of all known laws of science. Then, after a brief series of halted thoughts, he remembered the Doctor's words:

"._..if for some reason, there's a statue in here when you check, I need you to seal off this room and never use it again.._."

"Oh my...could he really have meant it? Is Alice really-"

"Doc? Alice givin' ye trouble agin?"

Dr. Wilson turned around, and his heart sank even further, if it was even possible; the Superintendent's nephews had just arrived.

"No! You two need to stay out of there! I need to seal off the room-" Dr. Wilson pleaded with them...

...but to no avail; they pushed right on past him, saying: "Dun worry, Doc. She give y' any trouble when w're here."

"Yeah, we'll give'r trouble first."

Dr. Wilson could only stare in shock as the two brutes approached the kneeling Alice and Doctor. The larger one laughed, and said: "Herllo Alice. Looks like yew've got yer rabbit back! Wanna play wit' us?"

"Bet she does. Whaddya say we move that guy outta the way," said the smaller one as he pointed to the Doctor, "an' give 'er a nudge?"

"Why not?"

While Dr. Wilson was horrified at these two's blatant disregard for his prior instructions regarding Alice and the Doctor, Alice merely spoke one word:

".._..One.._.."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

_ONE_

"_Agh! So much for doing this __before__ the nick of time!_" exclaimed the Doctor as he looped a hand in the Angel's massive nose, and pulled himself onto the face, while Alice pressed her hand to the head to hold it steady (leaning her body over to the side to hold down the Angel's free arm).

With effort, he managed to pull himself over the Angel's mouth, and asked Alice to hold it open for a second. This she did, pressing down on the Angel's chin with her other hand. With all that out of the way, the Doctor reached into his pockets, and pulled out two large bottles of purple liquid labeled 'DRINK ME.'

After a little wavering to maintain his balance, he pulled the stoppers out of the bottles, and emptied the contents of both into the Angel's gaping maw. The Angel, from Alice's perspective, was obviously distressed at being force-fed this substance.

Inside the Angel's mouth, the purple fluid splattered against the stone representation of a tongue, and then began emitting a violet-hued steam…as every little grain of the Angel's stone body suddenly began moving in a way it was never meant to go: smaller!

The sudden shrinking nearly caused the Doctor to lose his balance, and fall into the Angel's mouth himself; but before that could happen, Alice pulled him up onto her shoulder. She also removed her Vorpal Blade from the Angel's hand, before she stood up and watched the whole of her victory unfold.

"_Caterpillar sure knows his chemistry, doesn't he Alice?_"

Alice nodded, her gaze still on the Angel, who was struggling to get up (but having problems due to shrinking feet).

Eventually, the Angel finished shrinking…at the size of an ordinary humanoid, standing on the side of the old Infernal Train's engine (where Alice was now able to make out the bones of the Dollmaker). In silent fear, it tried to dive into the sea of Queen-meat, and hide…but owing to the fact that Alice was looking at it, it was too slow to do so before it was caught by her, and thrown back onto the train…

….where Alice, the mental countdown in mind, began stomping it into dust.

At around the twentieth stomp, brilliant blue streaks of light emanated from the former location of the Angel, and shone all over!

The two looked up, and saw that the massive twister of rocks above them, as soon as the light-beams struck it, began to disperse, and rebuild themselves… into components of Wonderland, with all their color and life restored!

Just then, a beam of light struck them, prompting the Doctor to shout: "WOOOAAA-"

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"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The two fat orderlies grabbed the Doctor, giggling as they pulled him off Alice…and jumped back when he exclaimed: "-AAAAH!"

The two dropped him in shock, and he landed on his rear end immediately afterwards. Two seconds later, heedless of the pain, he got up and dashed back to Alice, saying: "Alice? Alice! Are you well?"

Alice said nothing for three seconds…and then blinked, turned towards the Doctor, and said: "I…think…so…" as her breathing slowed down to normal human rates (accompanied with a silent prayer of thanks from Dr. Wilson)

"Careful! Close your eyes really quick; we don't know whether or not-" the Doctor began, but he stopped when Alice closed her eyes.

Just then, Alice, in between deep breaths, said "How…did I…awake?"

Dr. Wilson took it upon himself to answer: "The superintendent's bumbling nephews disturbed you and the Doctor...Those two disobeyed my direct instructions! I have half a mind to get them fired!"

"What inn-struck-shons?" the smaller brother asked, confused.

Dr. Wilson stared at them in shock: "I specifically remember telling every member of the staff to not disturb Alice!"

"Uhh…" the larger one began, "We were in the loo." Upon hearing this explanation, Dr. Wilson slapped his own face in disappointment.

The Doctor, meanwhile, was busy helping Alice to her feet. As she stood up, and wobbled, Alice asked: "Doctor...did we win? Is the Angel destroyed?"

The Doctor, after consideration, replied with: "You know what? Let's check!" and placing his fingers to her temples again.

"And be careful not to get sucked in this time." Alice stated. The Doctor nodded, and then concentrated...

-\

Gray, lifeless rocks flew all over Wonderland, placing themselves in the gaps ripped from landmasses and plants...before returning to their former forms!

One such swarm of boulders soared through the decrepit Vale of Tears, leaving a healthy rainforest where once lay a wasteland!

...

All around the circular table, the Mad Hatter and his friends watched the restoration of Wonderland.

"Wake up, Dormy!" shouted the half-mechanical March Hare as he prodded the Dormouse, who fallen asleep over his tea; "Alice won! The Angel is no more!"

The Dormouse merely yawned, said: "Oh, that's a relief!" and then went back to sleep.

"Oh, he's hopeless...Ah well! He has the time for a nap now!" laughed the Mad Hatter, as he sipped his personal cup of tea.

...

""""""""""""""""

The vision was interrupted by the Doctor's voice, telling her to open her eyes. This she did, but she only got a brief glimpse of his face before he pressed to her face again...

""""""""""""""""""

On the Looking-Glass line, the Elder Gryphon and Mock Turtle prepared the Engine as the Younger Gryphon conducted the varieties of passengers inside.

The Younger Gryphon blew his whistle, and shouted: "Last call for the Looking-Glass Express to Wonderland! All aboard who's coming aboard!"

…...

"But...your majesty!" pleaded the Knave as he knelt before the Queen of Hearts, once more upon her throne of blood and tentacles, "I only live to serve you!"

"_You said the exact same thing to the Weeping Angel that tried to destroy my kingdom._" the Queen snarled as she brought her tentacles to bear...and with a cry of "_OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!_" she grasped the Knave in her tentacles, and ripped him to shreds.

…...

Caterpillar returned to his microscopic Asian sanctuary, under the watchful eye of the Cheshire Cat.

"_Ah, Alice; once again you have triumphed over your demons...for now."_

The Doctor broke off contact from Alice, and the vision faded as he said: "Well! It seems that we did it! The Angel doesn't appear to have any more influence on your mind...had those two orderlies come here approximately one minute earlier, however, it would have been a completely different story."

Alice nodded, and then glared at the two orderlies that inspired Tweedledee and Tweedledum...when suddenly the Doctor exclaimed: "And look at this! Spoils of victory!" as he picked something off the floor.

Alice turned towards him...and gasped, seeing her childhood stuffed rabbit in his hands!

"Yes, Alice, that's the true rabbit. I managed to convince Radcliffe to part with it-" Dr. Wilson began, but Alice was too caught up in the joy of reunion to notice; so instead of continuing, he opted to smile...

...as the Doctor suddenly asked Dr. Wilson: "Well then...where does Alice go from here?"

…..

…..

The Doctor walked into the waiting room, where Alice sat waiting with her rabbit. "Well then..." he began, "Apparently the doctors used some chloroform on you while the Angel was attacking. Of course, the Angel rejected it, but you'll need a few extra hours of sleep tonight. Other than that, your physical body won't even know that it was in peril!"

Alice didn't turn around, but nodded nonetheless: "So it's back to normal for me then. Back to the streets, and to poverty."

"Actually," the Doctor contradicted, finally causing Alice to turn around, as he continued: "Dr. Wilson managed to contact an old friend of the Liddell family! You'll be staying with him for a little while until you can manage to live a decent life on your own. Get back on your feet, know what I mean?"

Alice's eyes widened...and then sighed. "Someone to teach me how to be a lady then?"

"Well that too. It _is_ the late 19th Century after all, not many lucrative jobs for women have shown up yet..."

"What I meant, Doctor, was that I didn't get that kind of education from the place everyone gets theirs: their family. Mine died before I was done being a child."

"...Oh." the Doctor said, acknowledging her meaning. And with that, Alice turned around in remembrance... "Oh, what I'd give to see them one last time," she said...

...when all of a sudden, the Doctor said: "If you really _could,_ then... Oh, why not?"

Alice looked at the Doctor in confusion, as he dashed to the door, opened it and said: "Come on, Alice!"

"Doctor, what are you doing?" she asked as she got up.

"Making it up to you."

...

As soon as they were outside, the Doctor skipped over to a familiar sight: the 'police public call box,' as it was so written, that they had taken the original Angel to...where, according to the Doctor, it somehow wound up on the planet Mercury. The Doctor opened the door, and before she could ask what was going on, ushered her inside.

She had barely stepped inside when she stopped in awe.

"Alice, Welcome to the TARDIS."

* * *

><p>Where does the Doctor want to go?<p>

Find out soon, hopefully next week!

Thank you for following this story for so long - this is the second to last chapter!


	10. One Last Tea Party

Disclaimer: I do not own American Mcgee's Alice or Doctor Who. This was intended for fun, and is not distributed with any malicious intent. This is a fanfic, and the real stuff is much more fun than a zit-faced fan with an overactive imagination. Go out and buy the games, and watch the real show on the BBC- if nothing else, to see the genius that inspired this fanfic!

A/N: For the tea-party scene, I'd recommend playing Evanescence (esp. 'The Other Side', 'The Only One,' or 'Bring Me To Life') in the background (for those who want this scene from Alice's perspective).

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: One Last Tea Party<p>

* * *

><p>"Alice, Welcome to the TARDIS."<p>

Alice stood there, almost dropping her rabbit in shock, as she took in the entirety of the scenery: A massive, elaborately decorated room with an impressive glass platform in the center, supporting a central decorative pillar with several assorted implements mounted on some kind of table.

"…Are you sure we're in the real world? This kind of thing seems…more Wonderland to me." Alice asked.

"Oh, Alice, this is better than Wonderland – this is the TARDIS, short for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space! It really _is_ bigger on the inside, and really _can_ go any _where_ and any_ when_ you want… within reason, of course."

"Within _reason_?" Alice scoffed, "This defies all laws of logic!"

"Actually, it works on laws of logic you humans won't discover for several million years! And I know that because the Time Lords, when they were around, made it their business to police time travel! Speaking of which, you heard of Dickens' Christmas Carol?"

As soon as Alice nodded (hesitantly), and explained that her nanny read it to her on one occasion as a child, the Doctor continued: "Well the basic concept of this 'time machine' is that it allows me to be the ghost of the past, the ghost of the present, and the ghost of that which has yet to come, all in one! I've shaken hands with Asian warlords, met roman emperors, and even got married to Queen Elizabeth the First…by accident of course." he closed this little monologue with a laugh.

Alice, too, saw the humor…but then she asked: "So what are we doing here?"

"First, I must ask you:" the Doctor's countenance suddenly took a serious turn, "Do you _promise_ to not change the things that happened in the past, in any way, shape, or form? To follow my instructions _very_ carefully?"

To this request, Alice replied: "Yes."

"Right then!" he exclaimed, his cheerfulness returning, as he rushed over to the central pillar, and started manipulating all the varied attachments. A glass structure in the center of the pillar started bobbing up and down, and a familiar whooshing sound echoed through the entire chamber…

…as on the outside, the police box faded from sight.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

_Vroooossshh...Vrrrooooosssshhh...Vroooosshh...CLUNK!_

The now-materialized TARDIS rested in between a pair of trees, under their shade. All around these trees were either more trees, or beautiful meadow. And not 30 yards away, the outline of a two-story house could be seen.

It was in this setting that the doors opened, allowing Alice (who, by the way, was dressed in a cleaner version of her typical Wonderland dress) and the Doctor to exit. Alice, surprised at the change in scenery, asked: "Where are we?"

"Oxford countryside, 1862. The year before the fire, according to Dr. Wilson; and yes, he shared some details about you and your family with me during our conversations."

"...But… why?" asked Alice.

"Well...follow me." the Doctor simply said.

Initially, Alice was slightly annoyed with the Doctor's lack of explanation...but as soon as she caught a glimpse of the building between the trees, all explanation was rendered unnecessary;

"That's...that's my house!" she exclaimed. The Doctor simply nodded in confirmation.

…

"Now remember Alice," said the Doctor as they walked up to the front door, "I gave us a little paradox prevention from the TARDIS, but still under no circumstances can you let them know who you really are, or what's going to happen to them in the future. As such, you will respond to the name 'Elise.' Oh, and don't touch your younger self, that would bring everything terrible down. Understand?"

Alice, who was still struggling to believe that this is actually happening, only managed to nod.

Upon seeing the nod, the Doctor said: "Alright then… here goes nothing," and grasped the ornate knocker on the door. With punctuated movements, he clanged the metal knocker against the door three times.

Around three minutes later, the Door opened, revealing a finely-dressed woman in the doorway. "Can I help you?" she asked as Alice gasped.

"How do you do! Mrs. Liddell, I presume?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," replied Alice's mother.

Alice nearly said: 'Mum?' before the Doctor gave her a slight nudge. She immediately stopped, just as she realized she was staring as well! Embarrassed, she curtseyed and said: "Sorry, I… I didn't mean to stare, Mrs. Liddell."

"I see. Well, you haven't introduced yourselves yet, nor have you given your occasion to knock!"

"Oh, that's right; I'm John Smith, and this is my friend, Elise. Here's my visiting-card," said the Doctor as he presented his psychic paper to Mrs. Liddell.

She nodded, and said: "I see…Another of Arthur's undergraduates?"

"Yes indeed…and I heard that Professor Liddell hosts fantastic tea-parties. Might today be a good day to drop by for afternoon tea?"

Mrs. Liddell sighed; she had lost her appreciation for her husband's students after the last one gave poor Lizzie such a terrible time. "Let me ask my husband," she said, before disappearing into the house.

Alice, meanwhile, reflected on what just happened: she heard her dear mother's voice once again! She felt a tear stream down her cheek as the Doctor patted her shoulder, saying: "You're doing great, Alice."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Shortly afterwards, Arthur Liddell greeted them at the door, and accepted their offer with a formal invitation. At this point, he guided them into the house, stating that it is nearly teatime anyway. "Mary-Ann!" he called out to the household maid, "We have a guest for tea! Fix the garden-table!"

"Understood, sir!"

The Doctor and Alice walked through the hallways, as Arthur Liddell guided them to the garden where they would have their tea. Along the way, they passed a room filled with lots of assorted toys, and a little 6-year old girl in a beautiful blue dress who was running around aimlessly. Alice stopped to look at her, memories coming back to her own mind, and the Doctor followed suit.

"Oh, that's my youngest daughter, Alice," said Arthur, noticing that 'John Smith' and 'Elise' were taking the time to admire his little wonder. "Alice," he addressed her, "how do we greet guests?"

Upon receiving the prompt from her father, the little girl turned towards the two strangers, curtseyed, and said: "How do you do?"

"How do you do, Alice?" the Doctor said with a grin and a bow.

"Fine, thank you." And with that, Alice curtseyed again, and resumed her pointless running.

Smiles on all faces, the three people continued walking. "Wonderful child, Alice;" said Arthur happily, "Although she is a bit too over-imaginative..."

"Over-imaginative? I don't see why that's a bad thing, Professor Liddell!" exclaimed the Doctor, who began walking faster, and in a weaving manner: "If we didn't have imagination, things would be so _boring_! I mean, look at all the great authors: Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dumas, Austen, all of _them_ were over-imaginative! And fiction's not the only thing to come of imagination and innovation: the mathematics, the sciences, the medicines, the music, the thousands of myriad ways to thank the Lord...if somebody didn't _imagine_ them first, they never would have happened! Imagination is, by far, one of humanity's greatest gifts!"

"...I see your point, Mr. John Smith!" Arthur said with a laugh, in which the Doctor joined in.

Alice, meanwhile, felt another tear coming to her face; hearing her father laugh exactly like he used to!

When the two of them were done laughing, they found themselves at the back-door, where they saw Mrs. Liddel and a teenage girl in a pink bonnet were waiting at the table, already set with teacups and saucers, just outside.

Just before they sat down, however, Arthur asked: "By the way, Mr. Smith, I wonder what occasion prompted you to ask for an invitation? I do not recall hearing of a 'John Smith' in need of academic assistance."

"Indeed, Professor. But this is more for Elise's sake," replied the Doctor, as he gestured towards the adult Alice: "She's been through a rough time as of late, you see; and as soon as my schoolmates told me about your tea parties, I thought, 'Perhaps what she needs an afternoon with some honest and polite gentlemen and ladies!' So, here we are!"

"Oh, Mr. Smith, you flatter us!" noted Arthur.

Meanwhile, the teenage girl sighed: "Here we go, another one buttering up Papa for a higher score on the exams…"

"Lizzie! Mind your manners!" exclaimed Mrs. Liddell, offended at her daughter's lack of respect for their guests.

"Oh, that's okay," said the Doctor as he sat down, and adjusted the nearby chairs so Arthur and Alice could follow suit.

Just then, the maid arrived with the teapot in its cosy, and set it down on the table. "I'll be right back with the edibles," she said, just before she went back inside.

Soon, Lizzie began pouring (with careful instruction from her mother), and the tea-party began officially.

…

"You know, Mr. Smith," said Arthur after a sip, "you came upon me in a much better mood than normal, hearing tales of young Alice's dreams. Otherwise, I might have turned you and Elise away! I'm considering ending my practice of inviting my students to tea."

"Why?" asked Alice, despite already knowing the answer.

"The last one I had, one with a certain Mr. Angus Bumby, whom I'm sure you've heard of, brought my daughter much discomfort."

Alice involuntarily cringed at the mention of that monster's name, but quickly regained her composure so she didn't spill her tea. "Is he a problem student?"

"Yes indeed; that's why I invited him, to provide counsel on his questionable classroom behavior. What a mistake. After the way he treated Lizzie, I am quite convinced he is beyond help."

"How right you are," said the Doctor, despite Alice knowing he really knew nothing about Bumby. He then said "Have you seen the way he behaves around campus?"

"Oh, I have. His numerous papers on the worthlessness of children have unsettled many of us teachers; despite the fact that many of them are well-written arguments, the things he suggests people should do to children offended many of us."

"Once," Arthur said as he leaned in over the table, "I heard that the campus minister had threatened to excommunicate him…but dropped the subject after a few talks with Angus. And ever since, Mr. Bumby has been much more thrifty with his spending."

"Ooh," commented the Doctor; "That's one for the ethical debates for sure! On one hand, it's a donation to the church; but on the other hand, it's a bribe."

"Yes. I've also heard rumors of cheating and plagiarism on his part, but have been unable to confirm them. I wouldn't put it past him though, given his taste for fighting and abusiveness towards his fellow students…"

At this point, Lizzie ceased her consumption of her sandwich, to say: "Papa, I find this conversation unsettling. And it seems Elise does too. What would you say to a change of subject?"

"…No objection on my part, Lizzie my dear! Besides, I'm sure the deans will give Bumby what he deserves soon." Arthur's statement caused Alice to sigh in relief.

"But then, what should we speak about…ah! Why not I tell you all about Alice's most recent dream?"

…

"The Walrus and the Carpenter? I heard Alice reciting that a few days ago!" exclaimed Lizzie as her father mentioned that little poem.

"You did?" asked the Doctor, "Did Alice remember how it went?"

"She actually asked me to write it down for her! And since Mama keeps saying I need to get back to my music lessons, I've been thinking of a little tune to go along with it!"

This got Mrs. Liddell's attention at once. "Oh really? I would like to hear it!"

An appreciated grin creeping across her face, Lizzie gently stepped out of her chair, cleared her throat, and began to sing. The parents watched in amazement at their daughter's melodious voice, while Alice clung to the Doctor to avoid breaking out into tears.

_The sun was shining on the sea,_

_Shining with all his might:_

_He did his very best to make_

_The billows smooth and bright– _

_And this was odd, because it was_

_The middle of the night._

…...

"Little sister can surely imagine, can she?" laughed Lizzie as Arthur's tale of Alice's 'Wonderland' finally finished.

"Yes indeed! She imagined an entire _world_ behind the mirror! And you're saying she recalled the _entire_dream?" asked the Doctor, to which Arthur nodded.

"Oh, such a fanciful, idealistic world it was, too!" commented Mrs. Liddell...who then asked Alice: "What did you think, Elise?"

"...I think it was a rather depressing story."

After everyone looked at her in mild confusion, she explained: "It had an _ending_."

Instantly, the Liddell family understood. "You don't like things ending, don't you?" Mrs. Liddell asked, and Alice replied by nodding, and then sipping some more tea while the Doctor said: "Like I said, tough time".

Arthur Liddell, however, leaned in and said: "Then it should be a comfort to you, to know that there's hardly ever a true _ending_; Often, endings are just new beginnings! Even death isn't truly and end, because you've got heaven to look forward to!"

He looked her in the eye, and continued: "If you don't like thinking about that which ended, then look forward to that which shall begin!"

Alice fought back a tear, sniffed, and said: "I miss...people like you."

...

"Hey, remember Alice's riddle?" asked the Doctor, to which everyone nodded.

Smiling, he went on: "Well, I've figured out one possible meaning for it! Why is a raven like a writing desk? Because Poe wrote on both!"

Everyone chuckled briefly...except for Alice, who was content to watch her family be happy.

...

…...

Around an hour after it began, the tea party finally came to an close. Mr. Liddell thanked 'John Smith' and 'Elise' for an exceptionally uplifting occasion, a sentiment both returned wholeheartedly.

Mrs. Liddell, remembering the Doctor's story, asked: "Miss Elise? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"..._(sniff)_...More than you could ever know." Alice replied with a tear and a smile.

"I appreciate the opportunity to help." Mrs. Liddell smiled.

The Doctor could tell that Alice was getting emotional right now, so he said: "Come on, Elise; It would be impolite to be a burden on these people." And with that, he beckoned her inside the house, where they would begin to retrace their steps to the TARDIS.

On the way, they passed by Alice's nursery again...and the Doctor called young Alice to him, then whispered something in her ear. When they continued on their way, Older Alice asked "What did you say to her...to me..."

"Spoilers," the Doctor replied.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Within the courtyard of Rutledge's Asylum, tucked away in a corner, a light blue outline suddenly appeared, accompanied by a faint glow and a sound of rushing air.

_Vrroooossshh...Vroooossshh...Vrrrrooooossssshhhh..._

Three seconds later, the TARDIS in its Police-Box disguise had fully materialized, and the Doctor and Alice stepped out the doors.

"Oh, Doctor...What can I say except...thank you! I have new memories of my family to treasure!"

"You don't just have memories, Alice. They're still alive...in the most important spots of all: Up here, and in here!" said the Doctor as he poked her forehead, then pointed to the area above her heart.

...Alice couldn't contain herself any longer; she wrapped her arms around the Doctor, and held on tight.

"You know," the Doctor noted after the hug had finished, "Just yesterday you totally _despised_ men!"

"You're not a man. You're a Time Lord."

"Good point."

Just then, Alice and the Doctor heard Dr. Wilson say: "Don't worry, sir; The Doctor assured me that Alice will be back shortly."

The two of them rushed towards the source of the voice, and found...

"...Dodgson?" Alice stated in disbelief.

"_THE_ Charles Lutwidge Dodgson? A.k.a. Lewis Carroll?" the Doctor asked in excited surprise.

"...Y-yes-s," the man stuttered, "That's me. Charles Do-do-dodgson."

Alice looked in confusion, remembering the man who nearly capsized their boat in

the Isis long ago…while the Doctor couldn't stop exclaiming: "Oh, it's you! One of the

most famous authors of all time! Your books are just amazing!"

"N…now, I wouldn't.t.t go that far!" Dodgson said modestly: "The b-books I write are hardly best-s-s-eellers!"

"Maybe not _yet_, but give it a few years and BAM! Your name will be synonymous

with wonderful and wacky children's books!"

"Now," Alice suddenly interrupted, "I'm sure you'd like to gush all over

this 'celebrity,' but…why are you here, Dodgson?"

"W…well," Dodgson began, fiddling his hat in his hands nervously, "Dr. Wils..on put

out a call-all for anyone who …who'd be willing to ta-t-take Alice in! He started-d

with friends of the Lid…Lidd…Liddells…and my name came up first!"

Alice, upon hearing Dodgson's words, remembered what the Doctor said before her

trip to the past…

…And before she could ask the question, the Doctor provided the answer: "Yes.

Charles is here to help you. I've done all I dare in this timeline, now he can do the

rest. Take care of you till you can move out on your own…. that sort of stuff."

"I-I owe your m-mother and f-f-father a fa…favor, after all, Alice. I…I think this would

be a perfect wa-way to redeem it…"

Alice looked at Dodgson, then the Doctor… and then said: "You won't…try to hurt me

in any way?"

"Oh no! I w-w-would never _mean_ to!"

"I'd never have called him," explained the Doctor, "if he wasn't someone who could

be trusted. I checked. I had you in mind the whole time, Alice."

Once again, Alice looked at the two of them…and then walked over to Dodgson, then

turned, and said: "Thank you again, Doctor!"

"I p-p-promise I'll take good care of her, Doctor!"

The Doctor gave both of them a thumbs-up, and then performed a 180-degree twirl,

and walked off towards the TARDIS…

"But you will drop by for a visit?" Alice called out to him.

"Of course! What sort of trustworthy Doctor would I be if I didn't visit old friends

now and then! It could be any time I please, with my time machine and all! In fact, I

could drop by next month…. anywhere from one to a hundred years from now!"

The last exclamation solicited a laugh from everyone involved. With another

thumbs-up, the Doctor finally entered his Police-Box… which soon began fading

away, to the shock of Dr. Wilson, slight surprise from Charles Dodgson, and the

happy reflections of Alice.

_Vrooooshhh…Vrrroooosshhhh….Vroooossshhhh…..Vroooooosshh….._

"…. Nothing in this day makes sense!" exclaimed Dr. Wilson with an insecure

laugh, "Talk about murderous statues, people breathing like steam engines,

disappearing police boxes, whatever they are... and Alice having a livable life to look

forward to!"

"I'm not complaining," said Alice.

….

A short time later, Alice was formally remanded to Dodgson's custody, and the two

set about moving Alice's meager possessions into his house.

At one point, Dodgson remembered how the Doctor referred to him as a famous

author…and he had some manuscripts that were waiting to be published, but they

were missing…something!

The story, he mentioned, was based off a tale he heard from his old friend Arthur

Liddell…and had the working title of: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland….

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Eighteen years earlier, Alice was running through her nursery, imagining she was

walking among fields of speaking flowers…

When suddenly, the guests Mama and Papa had invited over to tea stopped by her

nursery, and the man beckoned her over to the door.

Curious, she walked over to him…and he whispered into her ear:

"_Alice, there are going to be some very tough times ahead. Things may get hopeless,_

_and it may seem like there's no way out…but remember, there's always a way, and it_

_can be found. It seems like there is no way, because only a very few ever find the way;_

_some don't recognize it when they do, some don't ever want to._"

* * *

><p>*Cue the creepy victorian rendition of the Doctor Who theme.*<p>

The Doctor – Matt Smith

Alice – Susie Brann

Cheshire Cat – Roger Jackson

Etc..

…...

I took a few inspirational cues from 'Vincent and the Doctor' for these last few

scenes, but I don't think that detracts from the story in any way!

Oh, and this is in no way accurate to the REAL Alice/Dodgson relationship, or publishing date for ALICE IN WONDERLAND/THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS; this is within the continuity of American Mcgee's Alice. (after all, the _real_ Alice's parents didn't die in a fire.)

Thank you for following my longest story so far for two straight months! It may be finished now, but that just means I can start working on more fanfics! (The next one will be a WordGirl/Doctor Who crossover, so keep watch there if interested.)


End file.
